Stray Puppy
by LuckyxLabradoodlexLoverx7
Summary: AU: Takes place in 2013. Meet Sara Daniels – a shy, sweet, 22-year-old girl. When she meets 25-year-old rocker Roger Davis, she falls head over heels for him. He takes her under his wing and eventually, wins her heart. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – I own nothing of the musical, Rent. It belongs to its respected owner. I do own my original characters and the plot. 'Nuff said.

_**Italics **_are song lyrics, thoughts and flashbacks.

A/N: After writing so many Les Miserables fics, I'm gonna write some more Rent stories – yay! I have now written 171 stories – how crazy is that? I will update my chapter stories by the end of the year – I promise! Just a quick note – Angel is a girl in this story and is Collins' girlfriend, NOT boyfriend.

Summary: AU: Takes place in 2013. Meet Sara Daniels – a shy, sweet, 22-year-old girl. When she meets 25-year-old rocker Roger Davis, she falls head over heels for him. He takes her under his wing and eventually, wins her heart. Rated M for future chapters.

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: M

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

_Thirteen year old Sara Daniels rested against the pillows as she brought her daughter into the world. Her best friend, Rose, was at her front, guiding her through the difficult labor._

"_I can't do this!" Sara cried._

"_Yes, you can. Her head is almost out. Keep pushing!" Rose encouraged._

_Two long hours later, Sara held her daughter for the first – and last – time. She wasn't keeping her daughter; she feared she would be an awful mother. Rose was actually adopting her daughter._

_Sara spent the night with the little baby. She was asleep at the moment, but would wake up soon to nurse and be changed._

_The following day, the little girl went with Rose and Sara went to live with her Aunt Tia. Sara's parents, twin sister and little brother had been killed in a car accident the day she went into labor. They were on their way to the hospital when Sara's dad went the wrong way on the highway. He hit a semi and everyone died instantly._

_She felt as though she would never be whole._

Present day – nine years later

Twenty-two-year-old Sara Daniels pushed her glasses further up her nose as she entered her theater class. Her aunt Tia enrolled Sara in a theater class to help overcome her shyness.

She smiled and saw a few friends she knew. They asked about her summer and she told them about it while she waited for class to start.

Class started and Sara instantly took a seat toward the back of the class, slouching in her seat, praying she didn't get called on. Sara was extremely shy and didn't really like interacting with people. Her aunt Tia thought it would be a good idea. As she put it, "twenty-two-year-olds are NOT shy!"

After class, on the way back to Aunt Tia's place, she stopped at the bar between A and 8th Avenues. A blend of blues, folk and rock music poured out the open door.

She looked at the band and swayed to the music. The lead guitarist noticed her and smiled. Sara shied away and exited the bar, running all the way to Aunt Tia's apartment.

Tia greeted Sara, not looking up from the Telenova she was watching. Sara was half Greek and half Spanish, which she was proud of.

"Aunt Tia, I'm going out with friends, okay?" Sara told her aunt as they ate chicken tacos.

"Okay, sweetie. Have fun." Tia told Sara in Spanish. Tia and Sara had a trusting relationship, which Sara respected. Sara kissed her aunt's cheek and headed out the door, grabbing her bag and a banana on the way out.

Instead of going out with friends, Sara went back to the bar where she saw the handsome guy singing. She spread out her school work on a table near the back of the bar and took a bite of her banana.

Twenty-five-year-old Roger Davis was standing on the stage, singing into a microphone. He had sandy-blond hair that was fluffed out, green eyes and wore jeans with holes in the knees, work boots and a black T-shirt with a grinning skull on it etched in white. Around his right wrist, he wore a leather bracelet with two silver charms on it. One had the initials A.E. and the other had the initials M.M. He played a dark blue electric guitar with a white stripe on it.

He noticed Sara and turned to his band mates. She brought her script to her face and highlighted her lines. He jumped off the stage, sat across from her, grabbed the top of the script and smiled at Sara.

"Hey," Roger greeted her. Sara blinked, unsure as to what to say. "What's a pretty girl like you doing here?"

"M-my school work." Sara stuttered, taking a sip of her water with shaking hands.

"Whoa. It's all right. I'm not gonna hurt you," Roger soothed, looking into Sara's kind blue eyes. "Wow! You have beautiful eyes. I'm Roger."

"I'm S-Sara." She introduced herself. Roger smiled and sat next to her.

"You're really pretty." Roger complimented. Sara felt her cheeks turn pink.

"T-Thank you."

A big burly guy came over to Roger. Sara tensed up, fearing her past was catching up with her. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized it wasn't him and turned back to her school work. Roger noticed Sara's face pale a little, then return to its original coloring.

"Dude! Come on! We have rehearsal!" he barked.

"I'm coming, Adam. Can't a guy have a decent conversation with his new friend? Sheesh!" Roger told the guy. He then turned to Sara and winked at her. "Do you sing?"

She shook her head, making her shoulder-length brown curls bounce on her shoulders. She then pulled out her theater book and skimmed through it, every once in a while looking up and over at Roger. She could tell he was a nice, sweet person – not the hard, cold, cruel ones she was used to.

Roger and the band were finishing up just as Sara finished her school work. Roger waited to close the door until Sara emerged.

"I forgot my favorite pencil. I'll be right back." Sara told Roger. He entered the bar and watched Sara go to the stage. He leaned against the doorframe as she belted out Every Rose Has Its Thorn.

When she was done, she got off the stage and exited the bar. She ran back to her aunt's apartment, not once looking over her shoulder.

The following day, Sara went downtown to the record store. She was looking for a job and heard that they were hiring. It was actually her aunt Tia's idea – it would give Sara a chance to interact with people and not be so _timido_, or shy in Spanish.

The manager took Sara to a room in the back of the store and interviewed her. Sara answered the questions honestly. She never had a job before, so she didn't have a resume. She had babysat and watched a neighbor's dog, but other than that, she didn't have much job experience. The manager smiled, shook Sara's hand and removed the Help Wanted sign from the window.

Sara started that day, working the closing shift. The manager was around, just in case Sara had questions or needed help. The other girl that worked at the store, Mandy, was also there. Mandy had short blond hair, hazel eyes and stood six inches taller than Sara. Mandy was also really nice and helpful. She had been at the record store since she could remember – the manager was her dad.

Two hours before closing, Roger entered the shop and looked around. Sara was putting records away when she spotted him. She felt her heart race, in a good way. She caught his attention and he wandered over to her. She caught a glimpse at his leather bracelet, but didn't say anything.

"Hey." Roger greeted her.

"Hey." Sara echoed, more confidence in her voice.

"What are you doing here?" Roger asked, looking at a Guns N Roses cover.

"Working." Sara answered, shelving some records on the shelves. She had a customer and went to tend to them.

Roger leaned against a shelf and watched her interact with the customer. She smiled and handed the customer their change. She then told them to have a good day and went back to shelving the records.

"I just noticed something." Roger said. Sara was finished with work and Roger was walking Sara home.

"What?" Sara asked.

"You're not the shy girl I met the other day. What changed?"

"I think my theater class and working at the record store are really helping. I feel myself getting more confident every day," Sara told Roger, resting her head on his shoulder. She looked at his bracelet and traced the names with her finger. "What do the initials stand for?"

"My past loves. A.E. is for April Ericcson and M.M. is for Mimi Marquez. Both of them have passed on," Roger told her. He cleared his throat and shook his head, as if he was getting water out of his ears. "I know we just met, but would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow at 7:30?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and fished her key out of her pocket. "Tell me what you like and I'll fix it."

"I like gyros, lamb kabobs, tacos, nachos, pizza and spaghetti. I'll eat basically anything. My aunt says I'm like a human garbage disposal." Sara rambled, which happened to be a horrible habit of hers.

"I'll make spaghetti and we can have a salad with it." Roger said. Sara smiled and entered her apartment. Roger heard her speak in Spanish to a woman inside.

As Roger walked home, he thought about Sara and was glad that he met her.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Sara sighed and went through her closet again. She had taken a shower and was trying to figure out what to wear to Roger's for dinner.

She finally decided on a light pink-and-white striped over-the-shoulder sweater and dark blue jeans. On her feet, she wore black open-toed sandals, showing off the pedicure that she had gotten earlier. Her nails were painted green with a little blue mixed in.

She put her hair in a high ponytail and put in her large silver star earrings.

"Wow, honey. You look beautiful!" her aunt Tia said. She kissed Sara's cheek and looked at her niece. "You be safe, okay?"

"I will, auntie," Sara promised. She had told her aunt that she was hanging out with an old friend, which wasn't entirely true. Tia didn't approve of boys older than Sara, but once she got to know Roger, Sara was sure that her aunt would love him. "Don't wait up for me."

Sara stepped into the sunlight and saw Roger waiting for her. She walked over to him and took his hand.

"Wow. You look amazing!" Roger told Sara.

"Thanks. It took me forever to find the right outfit." Sara told him.

"You could've worn a paper bag and still have looked beautiful." Roger said. The comment made the tips of Sara's ears turn pink.

The two of them walked in silence for a while before Roger spoke.

"I heard you sing the first night we met. You have a beautiful voice." Roger said, interlacing his fingers with Sara's. She blushed and looked over at Roger.

"It's the only song I can sing without getting nervous." Sara told him.

Ten minutes later, they reached Roger's apartment. He slid the door open and Roger went to the kitchen. Sara sat at one of the four barstools that lined the kitchen counter.

"My roommates – Mark and Collins – are at the movies, so it's just you and me tonight," Roger said, turning on the stove. "Do you want an appetizer or a drink before dinner?"

"Could I have some water, please?" Sara asked. Roger nodded and handed her a bottle of water.

"Our drinking water isn't very good, so we use bottled water." Roger explained. Sara nodded and unscrewed the lid, drinking half the water in a single gulp.

"Where's your bathroom?" Sara asked a while later.

"Third door on the right." Roger told her, adding pasta to the boiling water.

The two of them were now eating dinner when Sara's phone went off. Roger recognized the tune as Your Eyes. She excused herself and went to a quiet corner of the loft. She came back ten minutes later, her face ashen.

"Sara? What is it?" Roger asked, going over to her.

"I don't understand it. She was fine when I left." Sara said, shaking her head. She sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands. She began sobbing.

"What's wrong?" Roger inquired.

"My aunt died – apparently, she had an aneurysm." Sara told him between sobs. Roger went over to her and held her. He stroked her hair and rubbed her back, wishing there was something he could do for her.

"Do you have any family?" Roger asked. Sara shook her head and buried her face in his shirt.

"My parents, twin sister and brother died in a car crash nine years ago. My aunt was my only living family." Sara answered between sobs.

Roger frowned and kissed her forehead. He then had an idea, but he would need to talk with Mark and Collins first.

"If it's okay with my roommates, you can move in here. The record store isn't that far away and the college you attend is a six-minute walk." Roger told Sara. She nodded and continued crying.

He led her to the couch and had her lay down. He carefully took out her earrings and kissed her forehead. He then put the food away and wished there was something he could do for his new friend.

He was reading a book and stroking Sara's hair when Collins and Mark entered the loft. They looked at Roger, confused looks on their faces. Roger nodded his head and motioned for his friends to follow him to his room.

He quickly explained who Sara was and her situation. Collins and Mark looked at each other, frowns on their faces.

"Rog, we don't have enough rooms for everyone." Collins pointed out.

"Not a problem – she'll share my room." Roger said.

Mark opened his mouth to protest, but closed it. All the points they had covered were talked about.

Collins and Mark went to their respected rooms while Roger went to take a shower. He glanced over at the couch and saw Sara there, fast asleep.

The following morning, Sara and Roger went to Sara's aunt's apartment so they could get Sara's things. Roger brought boxes, masking tape and bubble wrap.

Sara cried as she folded her clothes and put them in a box. Roger told her everything would be all right. He went to her desk and packed her things. An old rag doll caught Roger's eye as he placed it in a box.

"My mom gave her to me when I was born. Her name is Josephina." Sara explained, stroking the doll's black yarn hair. She gave the doll a quick hug before placing her in a box.

Two hours later, they were done. They loaded the boxes into the moving van when the landlord came outside and told Sara that he was sorry for her loss and that her aunt was in a better place, watching over her. Sara hugged him and felt new tears in her eyes.

The two of them headed to the loft in silence. Roger played the radio quietly while Sara sobbed.

When they arrived, the two of them went straight for Roger's bedroom. Roger moved his clothes in his closet to make room for Sara's clothes. He gave her the extra desk in his room for her things.

That night, the four of them had pizza and sat on the roof. Roger reached for Sara's hand and didn't let it go. She didn't pull her hand away, like Roger expected her to. Her fingers relaxed around his hand as she laughed and talked with Roger and his roommates.

Mark and Collins eventually went to their rooms and went to bed. Roger turned to Sara, seeing her in a whole new light. He moved closer to her and gently kissed her lips. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The two of them headed to Roger's room. He closed the door and took Sara's hand, leading her to his unmade bed.

"I don't want to hurt you." Roger said as he got on top of Sara.

"You won't hurt me." Sara told him. He kissed her neck as his hands went under her shirt and lifted it off her head. He then unfastened her bra as Sara removed Roger's shirt.

Sara moaned with pleasure as Roger removed their jeans. He removed her underwear and took some pubic hair in his fingers. He then put on a condom, put a hand between her legs and felt around. He then replaced his hand with his shaft. She tensed up, but Roger assured her that everything would be okay.

"You doing all right?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and gasped as Roger groped her breasts. He kissed them and went inside Sara, kissing her everywhere.

The two of them made love well into the night. By the time they finished, Sara felt like a whole new person.

As she slept, Roger looked over at her. She was absolutely beautiful and everything about her was perfect.

He carefully turned her over on her back and looked at her. After a while of staring at her, he put the blanket over them and went to sleep.

_Two months later_

Sara woke up and took a shower, singing Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Roger heard her singing and got out of bed, going to the bathroom. He climbed in the shower and wrapped his arms around Sara, bringing her closer to him.

"What are you up to today?" Roger asked.

"I have my theater final, then working at the record store. Why?" Sara asked.

"No reason." Roger answered, kissing her forehead. Sara looked up at him and smiled. She exited the shower and wrapped a towel around her waist. Roger watched her go to his room.

Sara put on a green T-shirt with a black cat on it and jeans. She put on her black tennis shoes and grabbed a banana, which she stuffed into her shoulder bag. She then went to the bike rack and unlocked her bike. She then put on her helmet and rode her bike to the college where she would perform her theater final.

Meanwhile, Roger and Mark went to the jewelry store to pick out an engagement ring. Collins was teaching, but he said he would join them at the loft later.

"It has to be perfect." Roger kept saying to Mark.

"Rog, are you sure this is a good idea?" Mark questioned. "You've known this girl – what – two months – and already you want to marry her? She reminds me of a stray puppy."

"Mark, I'm in love with her. I feel complete with her, more so than I did with April or Mimi." Roger told his best friend.

After an hour, Roger found the ring he was looking for. He paid for the ring and exited the store, Mark right behind him.

"So, how are you going to propose?" Mark asked.

"A romantic dinner on the roof. It's gonna be 75 degrees tonight," Roger answered as the two of them grabbed sandwiches. "I can't decide between Mexican food, Greek food or something Italian."

"I could make you guys something. How does grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, fruit salad and broccoli sound?" Mark asked.

"Delicious. Wait – I didn't know you could cook." Roger teased.

"I've only been taking cooking classes for the past three years," Mark responded. "Don't worry about Collins and I eating – we'll have leftovers or order something."

"If we hurry, we can see Sara's theater final." Roger said, looking at Mark's watch.

The two of them finished their sandwiches and hurried to the college where Sara attended. Roger put the ring in Mark's care. Mark told Roger that he would put the ring in his bedside table. Roger thanked Mark and trotted off.

Roger entered the auditorium while Mark went to start dinner for Roger and Sara.

"Next, we'll hear Sara Daniels' monologue from the play Broken Bridges. Whenever you're ready, sweetie." A kind male voice announced. Roger leaned in the doorway as Sara entered the stage.

"All my life, people told me I was this perfect little girl," Sara started, her voice trembling. She saw Roger and smiled. "But, since moving to the big city, I don't feel perfect. I got into drugs and started sleeping with random guys, which resulted me in not only having a little girl to look after, but a life-threatening disease," Her words came out clearer now. "I fear for the life of my daughter after I'm gone. Her dad doesn't want her and I don't have any family," Sara took a deep breath. "I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it."

She exited the stage, just as a roar of applause sounded. Roger smiled and kissed Sara when she came over to him.

"Hey. I didn't know you were coming." Sara told him as they exited the auditorium, hand-in-hand.

"It was kind of a last minute thing," Roger said, handing her a red rose without thorns. Sara smiled and sniffed the rose. "I was thinking we could take a walk around Central Park."

"Sounds good. What have you been up to today?" Sara inquired as Roger helped her put the rose in her hair and took her shoulder bag. They walked Sara's bike back to the loft, along with her shoulder bag before heading to Central Park.

"I've been hanging out with Mark while Collins is teaching." Roger answered as they crossed the street.

"My aunt's funeral is in two months and I would like it if you came with me." Sara told Roger as they entered Central Park.

"Of course, sweetie." Roger told his girlfriend, taking a moment to kiss her. Sara stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. He smiled and rested his forehead on hers, taking in her sweet perfume.

He held her hand as they went to find the carousel in the middle of Central Park. Roger enjoyed going to the carousel for as long as he could remember. Sara had never been, so Roger thought this would be the perfect time.

They found the carousel and waited in line. Roger kissed Sara, not caring who saw them. They deepened the kisses as they went to find two horses next to each other.

They rode the carousel a total of three times before going back to the loft. Mark didn't have dinner ready, so Roger and Sara went to Roger's room.

Roger's hands snaked up Sara's shirt and lifted it off her head. She took off Roger's shirt as Roger laid her on the bed, discarding her bra. He slipped a condom on as Sara sat up.

The two of them were now naked and panting. Roger held Sara in his strong arms, kissing her neck.

Mark knocked on the bedroom door three minutes later, saying that dinner was ready. The two of them got changed and exited Roger's room, holding hands.

"Mmm. Something smells delicious!" Sara said. Collins emerged from his bedroom, wearing a T-shirt that had a picture of a tuxedo on it and jeans. Over his arm, he had a blue and white striped dishtowel.

"Good evening and welcome to Chez DaCoCo. I will be your waiter this evening. If sir and madame will follow me to the roof, please." Collins told Roger and Sara.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" Sara asked Roger as Collins led them to the roof. Fairy lights twinkled and glowed above a table set for two. Soft music greeted Sara's ears from hidden speakers.

"Not a clue." Roger answered, pulling Sara's chair out of her. She smiled and sat down. Roger pushed her chair in, sat across from her and took her hand in his.

"Can I start sir and madame off with some white wine?" Collins asked. Sara nodded, as did Roger. Collins smiled and poured them wine.

"When you get a moment, could I get some water, please?" Sara inquired. Collins nodded and went back in the loft. He came back two minutes later with a bottle of sparkling water and two menus. He handed the water and one of the menus to Sara and handed the other menu to Roger.

"Your entrée tonight is grilled chicken with mashed potatoes, fruit salad and broccoli. For dessert, there's chocolate, vanilla or strawberry ice cream and chocolate cake. Your dinner should be ready shortly." Collins told Roger and Sara.

He left them alone as Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" came over the speakers. Roger excused himself and extended his hand to Sara.

"May I have this dance?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and followed Roger to where he was dancing. He put his hands on Sara's waist, drawing her close. Sara put her arms around Roger's neck, interlacing her fingers. He sang the words in Sara's ear as the two of them swayed to the music. It wasn't until Collins' clearing his throat that they were aware of their surroundings.

"Dinner is served!" Collins announced as he and Mark carried out two silver trays. Roger and Sara returned to their seats as the trays were placed in front of them. Mark and Collins removed the lids and smiled at Roger and Sara.

"Bon appetite!" Mark and Collins said in unison.

Sara and Roger ate dinner in silence, often looking into each other's eyes.

After dinner, Mark and Collins cleared the plates as Roger fiddled with something in his pocket. Sara dabbed her mouth with her napkin and placed it on her lap.

"I have been in love with you since the moment I first saw you. I cannot imagine not spending my life without you," Roger started. He got out of his chair and knelt in front of Sara, taking her left hand in his hands. "I love you with all my heart, so Serephina Bridget Daniels, will you do the honor of marrying me?"

Sara gasped as a beautiful ring was placed on her left ring finger. It fit perfectly. She usually hated being called Serephina, but on this occasion, she loved the way Roger said it. Sara didn't trust herself to speak, so she nodded. Roger stood up and kissed her just as Mark and Collins came onto the roof, bringing chocolate ice cream, Stoli and four glasses.

Once the ice cream was eaten and the Stoli was drunk, Sara and Roger stumbled to Roger's room, laughing all the way there. They undressed each other, kissing every inch of one another.

_Eight weeks later_

One morning, at first light, Sara stumbled to the bathroom. She lifted the lid on the toilet and threw up, thankful she made it in time.

She threw up for fifteen minutes, tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt Roger's strong arms wrap around her and hold her.

"You're okay, honey." Roger soothed, rubbing Sara's back. Once Sara was finished, she closed the lid on the toilet, flushed it, washed her face and brushed her teeth. She then washed her hands and walked back to Roger's bedroom.

Roger spent all day taking care of Sara. Towards the middle of the afternoon, she insisted that she felt well enough to go into work.

"Call me if you change your mind." Roger told her, kissing her forehead. Sara nodded and exited the loft.

She was at work for an hour when she felt like she was going to throw up again.

"Mandy, can you take care of this customer, please?" Sara asked as she dashed to the bathroom. Mandy nodded and took over the sale for Sara. She threw up for ten minutes before washing her face and flushing the toilet.

Sara went to find the manager, who was in his office, talking on the phone. He looked up at Sara and mouthed 'just a minute'. Sara sighed and looked at the pictures around the office. She saw the manager with different bands, including Poison – her favorite.

"Sara, what is it?" the manager asked when his phone conversation was done.

"Um, I'm not feeling well, so I'm gonna go home," Sara told him. "Mandy said she would cover the rest of my shift."

"Okay. Feel better soon." The manager told Sara. She smiled and exited the office. She then called Roger and waited for him at the front of the store.

"Hey. You all right?" Roger asked as Sara got in the car. She shook her head and stuck her head out the open window. Roger drove back to the loft, hoping things would be all right.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Sara nervously looked around the waiting room. She and Roger were at a small clinic in midtown to find out what was wrong with Sara. She squeezed Roger's hand and leaned against him.

"Sara Daniels?" a nurse called, making Sara jump five feet in the air. She and Roger followed the nurse back to an examining room. The nurse took Sara's vitals before having her change into a sky blue gown.

"This is so embarrassing!" Sara complained as she stripped.

"You're going to be okay, sweetie. I'm right here." Roger told her as he helped her onto the examining table.

There was a knock on the door and a female doctor entered. She introduced herself as Dr. Elliot and had Sara tell her what was happening.

Sara told her what she was experiencing every morning as Dr. Elliot listened to Sara's internal organs.

"I want to do a pelvic exam, okay?" Dr. Elliot told Sara. Sara nodded and did what the doctor told her to do. Roger squeezed Sara's hand and looked down at her, hoping she would be all right. She asked Sara some personal questions, which Sara answered honestly.

The doctor finished the pelvic exam and handed Sara a paper cup. Sara rolled her eyes and went to the bathroom while Dr. Elliot and Roger talked.

A few minutes later, Sara entered the examining room. She handed the pee cup to Dr. Elliot, who took it to the lab.

Sara and Roger had a thumb war while they waited for the results. Sara beat Roger twice. Roger had won once. They were about to play again when Dr. Elliot entered the examining room, a smile upon her face.

"Congratulations you two – you're expecting!" Dr. Elliot told Roger and Sara. Sara smiled and hugged Roger. He kissed her forehead and then kissed her stomach. "Sara, looks like you're about three weeks pregnant. I'm going to prescribe you some pre-natal vitamins." She wrote something on her prescription pad and handed a white piece of paper to Sara.

"Can you tell me when our baby will be due? We're trying to plan our wedding. We have everything, except a date." Sara told the doctor. She nodded and looked at the calendar.

"Well, it's October now, so sometime in July you should expect your little one." Dr. Elliot told Sara. Sara thanked the doctor and shook her hand. She smiled and shook Roger's hand before exiting the room.

"We're going to be parents! I'm so excited!" Sara squealed as she and Roger left the free clinic.

"I feel like we're doing things backwards – we're having a baby then getting married," Roger remarked. His face then turned serious. "We should wait until you're passed the first trimester before we tell people."

"I agree with you." Sara agreed, resting her head on his shoulder. Roger kissed her forehead and brought her closer to him.

The following day, Roger and Sara put on their best black outfits. They were heading to the church where Aunt Tia's funeral would be held.

"Roger, there's something you should know about me," Sara started when she and Roger were halfway to the church. She took a big breath and let it out slowly, knowing exactly where to begin. "When I was thirteen my cousin, Eduardo, sexually molested me. He molested me again when I was fifteen. The first time he molested me, he was nineteen. The second time, he was twenty-one. I told my aunt about it the first time, but she didn't believe me. I told my parents about it both times. They took me to the doctor the first time. It turned out I was pregnant with his baby. I gave birth to a little girl, who I gave up for adoption while Ed was in jail. He recently got out and will be at the memorial service."

"Baby, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Roger asked, looking over at his girlfriend.

"I was scared." Sara confessed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Roger pulled into the church parking lot and held Sara close. They had arrived early, so Roger just held Sara in his arms.

Sara eventually pulled herself together and they walked into the church, hand-in-hand. The service was in Spanish and it was beautiful and extremely touching. Roger didn't know any Spanish, but thought about taking a class in the spring at the college where Sara went.

At the reception afterwards, Sara spotted a large man with tattoos on his arms and a buzz cut. She ducked behind Roger when the man looked their way. He came over and saw Sara. She felt her heart pounding as the man smiled evilly at her.

"Ah, my little Spanish flower. You haven't changed a bit." The man purred, his voice dripping with a Spanish accent.

"Leave me alone, Ed. According to your restraining order, you can't be within 100 feet of me." Sara told the man, her voice shaking like the rest of her.

"I don't pay attention to that," He told her, running a finger down her jawline. Sara tensed and clung tighter to Roger. He comforted her and hugged her close to him. The man noticed Roger for the first time. "Who're you?"

"I'm her fiancée, Roger." Roger snarled. Ed looked Roger up and down as if he were a piece of meat.

"Roger, let's go." Sara urged, her face paling. Roger nodded and kissed her forehead. They left without another word.

Sara felt her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to calm down. Roger squeezed her hand, as if he were afraid to let her go, which he was.

That afternoon, Sara took a nap in Roger's room while Roger looked for decent cribs online. Collins had moved out, so Roger planned on making Collins' room the nursery.

He heard the door slide open and saw Mark enter the loft. In his arms was a large paper bag.

"A little help please!" Mark yelped. Roger put his laptop away and ran over to Mark.

"What do you have in here?" Roger inquired, peering into the bag.

"Stuff for Sara's birthday party." Mark answered. Roger frowned and looked over at his bedroom door.

"Sara had a pretty rough day, so I'm letting her sleep." Roger explained. He then went to tell Mark about the funeral for Sara's aunt and that they had run into Sara's cousin. Roger left out the part about Sara being molested.

Mark nodded and frowned, completely understanding the situation. He put the decorations in his room and closed the door.

"Mark, we'll celebrate her birthday tomorrow." Roger told his roommate.

Mark agreed and came out of his room. The two of them had a beer and watched a baseball game on TV.

Sara still hadn't come out of Roger's room when the pizza they ordered arrived.

"I'm gonna check on her," Roger announced. Mark nodded and went to find a movie he and Roger could agree on. "Baby, are you all right?"

Sara slid open the door a crack and smiled. Roger opened the door and went over to her. She already had her pajamas on and her hair was wet.

"What's going on out there?" Sara asked.

"Mark and I were gonna watch a movie. Do you want to join us?" Roger questioned. Sara shook her head and leaned against Roger. "I'm so sorry about what happened today."

"I know. Thank you for rescuing me." Sara thanked him, kissing his cheek.

"I would do anything for you, Sar-bear. You know that," Roger reminded her, nuzzling her neck. He then looked at her stomach. "How's our little one doing?"

"I think its doing well." Sara told him.

They talked for a while longer before Roger changed into his pajamas. The two of them read for a while before going to sleep.

_Three months later_

The two of them were looking at paint swatches for the nursery when Mark, Benny and Collins entered the room. They blindfolded Roger and led him out.

"Guys! Bring me back my fiancée!" Sara ordered, laughing.

"We went to the doctor this morning. We heard our little one's heartbeat." Roger told his friends. The guys high-fived Roger and hugged Sara.

A few minutes later, Angel, Maureen and Joanne entered the loft. Sara repeated the news to the girls. They squealed and hugged Sara, then Roger.

Everyone was sitting around Roger and Sara, happy to see their friends after everyone being so busy.

The girls took Sara to a café nearby for her bachelorette party. The boys stayed in the loft for Roger's bachelor party.

It wasn't until later that night that Sara and Roger saw each other. Sara went to the room she shared with Roger and collapsed onto the mattress. Roger followed suit and looked over at Sara.

"Babe, you okay?" Roger asked, poking Sara.

"Stop!" Sara squealed as Roger tickled her. He climbed on top of her and took her in his arms. He removed the top Sara had on and put it on the floor, along with his shirt. He unfastened Sara's bra and massaged her breasts. She removed his jeans, not breaking contact with him.

Roger unzipped her jeans and slid them off her. He looked into her beautiful blue eyes and removed her glasses.

"We should be careful." Roger said as he placed a hand between Sara's legs.

"I know." She agreed, her voice tired. She slid off Roger and went to her side of the bed. He laid next to her, covering her neck in kisses.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Roger questioned as he and Sara got under the covers.

"I have to work then I'm going to an audition. Why?" Sara asked, turning so she was facing Roger. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead.

"Nothing for you to worry about," Roger said. He then got a confused look on his face, which made Sara giggle. "What's the audition for?"

"It's for the play the college is putting on. It's called _One Day Away_. It's about love, sacrifices and the hard decisions we have to make," Sara told Roger. "I'm going for the role of Anne Marie – the pregnant teenager."

"I hope you get it, baby." Roger told her, kissing her ear. His plan was perfect – he, Mark, Benny and Collins would be painting and transforming Collins' old room into the nursery.

"Thanks. Aren't you coming to support me?" Sara asked.

"Can't. I have band practice." Roger told her, pulling her on top of him. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She looked into Roger's kind green eyes and kissed him.

* * *

At 10:15 the following morning, ten minutes after Sara left for work, Roger, Mark, Collins and Benny painted Collins' room. They listened to a random Pandora station as they painted the room. The walls were blue-green, along with the rug and the two squishy armchairs that sat next to the window. The changing table, crib, rocking chair and closet were white, which was a great contrast.

Sara and Roger wanted to find out what they were having before attaching the mobile to the crib. If it was a girl, the mobile was bears dressed as ballerinas. If it was a boy, the mobile was sports-themed.

The boys hung pictures on the walls before taking a look at all their hard work.

"Thanks you guys for helping me." Roger thanked his friends as they had lunch.

"We would do anything for you, Rog." Collins told Roger.

Later that day, Sara came home, a frown on her face. She passed by Roger, who was sitting on the couch, looking at baby names.

"Honey, are you okay?" Roger asked. He put a hand under Sara's chin and lifted her eyes to his. He could tell that she had been crying. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't get the part!" Sara wailed. Roger nuzzled Sara's neck and kissed her forehead.

"At least you tried, sweetheart," Roger told her, rubbing her back. Sara nodded and looked into Roger's eyes. He kissed her forehead and looked at her stomach. He put a hand on her stomach and smiled. "I have a surprise for you. Follow me."

He stood up and helped Sara off the bed. He put one hand over her eyes and had her hold his other hand. They walked to the nursery and Roger removed his hand from her eyes.

"This is so beautiful! You guys did an amazing job!" Sara praised, going into the nursery. She looked at the pictures on the walls, which were baby pictures of her and Roger, including both their ultrasound pictures. She felt tears in her eyes as she continued to look around the room. Everything was perfect.

"You don't have to cry," Roger told her, brushing the tears away with his thumb. "Why don't you take a bath while I make us dinner?"

"I've had the weirdest craving for macaroni and cheese – even though I don't really like it." Sara told Roger as he helped her into the bathroom.

"Do you want something else?" Roger asked as he helped Sara into the tub. He put her hair in a high ponytail and handed her the book she was reading.

"No thanks, babe. Mac and cheese will be just fine." Sara told Roger. He smiled and exited the bathroom.

So that no one disturbed Sara, he made a 'Do Not Disturb' sign and hung it on the door.

Forty-five minutes later, Sara was finished with her bath and had her pajamas on. She waddled out into the kitchen and sat down at a barstool.

Roger smiled and handed her the delicious-looking macaroni and cheese, along with a bottle of water and her vitamin. He then put a plate of fresh fruit and vegetables in front of her.

Once Sara had enough to eat, Roger did the dishes while she went to bed.

_Three months later_

Sara looked up at Roger as Dr. Elliot placed the special gel on Sara's stomach. He kissed her forehead and looked at the screen.

A loud thudding filled the room and the couple knew that it was the baby's heartbeat. Sara squeezed Roger's hand and she felt him squeeze it back.

"Take a look at your little girl." Dr. Elliot told the couple. Sara looked at her little one. She was currently stretched out and was facing Roger and Sara.

"Wow – she's beautiful!" Roger breathed. Sara nodded in agreement.

"I can't wait to see her!" Sara whispered, sitting up as Dr. Elliot cleaned off her stomach. Roger rolled down Sara's T-shirt and kissed her forehead.

"I have down that you want a water birth, correct?" Dr. Elliot asked, checking her notes. Sara and Roger nodded in unison. "I would also like to have you two consider having a C-Section, just in case."

Roger and Sara nodded again and thanked Dr. Elliot. She smiled and exited the examining room.

When the two of them returned to the loft, they went to the couch and got out a book called _The_ _Big Book of Baby Names_.

Roger got two pieces of paper, two pens and a bottle of water. He handed the water to Sara and sat next to her.

"Let the name game begin!" Roger announced. Sara laughed and rolled her eyes. "What do you think of Joy, Hope, Grace, Leila, Lilly, Faith, Emily and Esperanza?"

"I like Emily, Hope, Grace, Joy and Faith." Sara said, skimming the book. "I also like Rachel, Edith and Zoey."

It took them an hour, but they finally decided on a name for their little girl – Emily Grace Davis.

"Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" Roger asked Sara. She smiled and nodded, kissing Roger's cheek.

Four days later was Sara and Roger's wedding. They decided it would be dressy casual. Sara wore a deep purple knee-length maternity dress with spaghetti straps and open-toed sandals. Her hair was piled on top of her head with tendrils framing her face. Collins offered to walk Sara down the aisle, since her father wasn't around to do so.

Roger wore a nice white T-shirt and nice jeans. On his feet, he also wore open-toed sandals. He smiled as he watched Sara and Collins walk towards him.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen each wore something purple. Sara had chose Joanne to be her Maid of Honor, while Roger chose Mark to be his Best Man. A friend of Collins named Charlie, who was an ordained minister, preceded over the ceremony.

Within an hour, they exchanged rings, vows and kisses. Charlie blessed them and told Roger he could kiss his beautiful bride. He carefully dipped Sara and kissed her lips. She laced her fingers behind his neck and returned the kisses.

They went to the Grand Hotel located downtown for their honeymoon, seeing that Sara couldn't travel. They had the honeymoon suite for two months, which was all they needed.

Unfortunately, the honeymoon was cut short – Sara started having Braxton-Hicks contractions and had to stay in the hospital for two days.

Dr. Elliot assured them that their little girl was fine – just wanting to come out and meet her parents.

Sara smiled and rested her head against Roger's chest, hearing his heart thump beneath her ear.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

_A month later_

Sara tried to get into a comfortable position and go back to sleep. It was 7:30 PM, according to the clock on the nightstand. Both she and Roger had gone to bed early – Roger had a gig the previous night and Sara was tired – she said it was because of the pregnancy hormones.

Sara got out of bed and paced the length of the room, taking calm and relaxing breaths, just like her Lamaze instructor told her to.

Roger lifted his head off the pillow and when his eyes adjusted, he saw Sara pacing the length of the room, her hands on her lower back and bottom of her stomach.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Roger asked.

"Pacing." Sara answered, feeling a sharp pain in her back. Roger got out of bed and walked over to where Sara was.

"Come here, sweet girl," Roger coaxed, holding his arms outstretched. Sara smiled and started to walk to him when another sharp pain brought her to her knees. Roger turned on the overhead light and saw the carpet was wet beneath Sara's feet. "Honey, the baby's coming. Let's get you to the hospital."

Sara nodded and carefully stood up, holding onto Roger for support. He got her overnight bag and called to Mark. He emerged from his room and slid the door open, then pulled it closed when all three of them exited the loft. He and Roger carefully helped Sara down the stairs to the parking garage.

"Mark, can you drive us to the hospital?" Roger asked, tossing Mark the keys to his car. He nodded and unlocked it, ushering Roger and Sara to the backseat.

Once everyone was in, Mark drove as fast as he could to the hospital. Roger kissed Sara's forehead and whispered soothing words to her. She had sweat and tears streaming down her cheeks.

Mark dropped them off while he went to find a parking place. On the way there, Mark had called Dr. Elliot to let her know that Sara had gone into labor.

Within minutes, Sara was undressed and in a small birthing pool. There was about a few inches of water in the pool, so that the baby wouldn't drown. Roger sat behind her, rubbing her back in a circular motion. Dr. Elliot was at Sara's front, coaxing her through the long, difficult, painful labor.

Roger peered over Sara's shoulder and looked between her legs. There was a large bubble appearing.

"That's her head," Dr. Elliot told Roger, seeming to read his thoughts. "Roger, can you come here and assist me?"

Roger nodded and went to sit beside the doctor, still squeezing Sara's hand.

"Now, when the baby comes, I want you to hold your hands out with the palms up," Dr. Elliot explained, showing him what she meant. "Can you do that?"

"Yeah," Roger answered, prying his hand out of Sara's death grip. She cried out for him as he had her hold onto the sides of the birthing pool for support. "Baby, it's okay. I'm right here."

He watched with great difficulty as his daughter's head, shoulders, arms, chest, legs and feet appeared. Before the little one could hit the bottom, Roger caught her and looked at her. She was pink, bloody and crying loudly. Roger felt tears in his eyes as he cut the cord and kissed Sara's forehead.

Dr. Elliot and Roger helped Sara out of the birthing pool and into a pink hospital gown. She sat in a wheelchair as Roger wheeled her to her room, Emily right behind them in an incubator.

"What's her name?" Dr. Elliot questioned, examining Emily.

"Emily Grace Davis." Roger told the doctor. Dr. Elliot smiled and handed Emily to Roger. She was now swaddled in a pink baby blanket and had a pink cap on her head. At the moment, she was asleep.

"She's 7 pounds, 8 ounces and is 16.5 inches long." A nurse told Dr. Elliot.

"We should give them some space." Dr. Elliot whispered as the nurse placed an information card on the incubator.

"Let me see her." Sara whispered. Roger smiled and carefully handed Emily to Sara. She guided Emily to her breast and she instantly latched on. Roger smiled down at the two of them. He kissed the top of Sara's head and went to see his friends.

They all looked up when Roger came into the waiting room, smiling.

"Mark, get out your camera," Roger told his best friend. Mark got his camera out and turned it on. "Today, on July 12th, 2013 at 3:39 AM, Sara and I have a new daughter – Emily Grace Davis. She's 7 pounds, 8 ounces and is 16.5 inches long."

Everyone congratulated Roger and hugged him. There were then questions of wanting to see Sara and the baby.

"No visitors tonight, but you guys can see them in the morning. Sara needs to rest and we want to bond with Emily." Roger told his friends. They nodded and agreed that was fair.

Roger bid goodnight to his friends and made his way to the room that Sara was in. He saw her sleeping and Emily was in her incubator.

He kicked off his shoes and climbed in behind Sara, taking her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and laid down next to her, not wanting to leave her for a moment.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, Emily started her crying. Roger got out of bed and walked over to the incubator. He took off the lid and picked up Emily.

"Hey, hey. You're all right," Roger soothed his daughter. He brought her to the rocking chair and rocked her for a while. She didn't like that. "Um, okay. What else do you want?"

"Babe, I'll take her," Sara told Roger, turning on the bedside lamp. Roger smiled and took Emily to see her mother. Sara held her arms out for her baby and brought her to her breast. "Ouch!"

"You okay?" Roger asked.

"Yeah. I'm not used to nursing, so this kind of hurts." Sara answered.

"Do you want me to bottle feed her?" Roger questioned, sitting in the chair beside Sara's bed.

"No – it's all right now," Sara assured Roger as she put Emily over her shoulder and carefully burped her. Sara then smiled at Roger. "Daddy has diaper duty!"

Roger smiled and brought Emily to the changing table. He removed her diaper and put it in the trashcan. He then lifted Emily's legs so he could wipe her bottom. He then cleaned between her legs and blew a raspberry on her belly. She didn't like that.

"Okay, princess." Roger said as he found a new diaper and put it on her. He then put on a onesie that Joanne and Maureen had given him. It was green with 'Daddy's Girl' written in white across the front. He then put Emily in her incubator and put the lid on.

Once that was done, he went to the bathroom to wash his hands before joining Sara.

The following day, before Roger, Sara and Emily woke up, Joanne, Maureen, Collins, Angel, Mark and Benny snuck into the hospital room and put up pink decorations.

"Aww. Look at those two!" Maureen whispered, indicating to Sara and Roger. Sara had her head resting on Roger's shoulder, her arms wrapped around his body. Roger was on his side, facing Sara, holding her in his arms.

"How sweet!" Joanne whispered, just as Angel came over. The girls admired the sleeping couple before soft crying broke their attention.

Mark, Collins and Benny looked in the incubator at the little baby sleeping there. Little squeaking noises escaped her lips as she moved her arms and legs up and down, as if she was climbing a wall.

"Girls! Come over here!" Collins hissed. All three girls turned their attention away from Roger and Sara to focus on the baby in the room.

Just then, the baby burst out crying. Roger woke with a start and pried Sara off of him. He went to the incubator and smiled at Emily.

It was then that he noticed his six friends standing in a half-circle around the incubator.

"Could one of you take her, please? I've been trying to get Sara to wake up to nurse her, but nothing works." Roger told his friends. Joanne took Emily and walked her around the room.

"Let me try something." Collins said. He walked to the side of the bed and pinched Sara's nose. She woke up with a start and coughed, glaring at Collins.

"Fuck you, Collins!" Sara growled, rubbing the end of her nose. She then put on her glasses and quickly covered up, now seeing the other people in the room.

"Gladly!" Collins retorted. Sara giggled and looked for her little girl.

"Joanne, may I have Emily, please?" Sara asked. Joanne nodded and handed Emily to her mother.

Roger drew the curtain around Sara and Emily so they could have some privacy.

"Rog, she's beautiful!" Maureen told Roger. He smiled and sat in the rocking chair, head in his hands.

"What's going on?" Benny inquired.

"We had a long and stressful night," Roger told his friends. "Emily cried for an hour, Sara had a temperature spike and I've been really worried for both of them."

"When do you come home?" Angel asked.

"Tomorrow." Roger answered.

"We'll all help out." Mark volunteered. Everyone agreed.

"Thanks, you guys." Roger thanked his friends. He then went to see how Emily and Sara were doing.

Sara was sitting up a little in bed. She held a pillow in her lap and had her arms around it. She looked down at Emily, who was nursing loudly. Roger sat behind Sara and looked down at his little girl. He then kissed Sara's temple as she rested her head on his chest.

The following afternoon, Sara, Roger and Emily were given the okay to go home. Roger put the carseat in the car while Sara climbed in.

"What the hell am I doing wrong?" Roger asked, clearly frustrated.

"Honey, it goes in so that she's facing me." Sara instructed. Roger smiled and turned his baby around. He then fastened the seatbelt across the carseat and adjusted the straps of the carseat.

Sara looked down at Emily, who slept all the way to the loft. She brushed a strand of hair out of Emily's face and kissed her cheek.

They arrived at the loft ten minutes later. Sara went upstairs to the loft while Roger dealt with the carseat. He got Emily out of the car and took her up the four flights of stairs that led to the loft.

He took Emily out of her carseat and placed her in the nursery. He turned the mobile above Emily's head and the soothing melody of 'You Are My Sunshine' filled the room.

Roger took a quick moment to remove Emily's hospital bracelet and put it in her baby book. He noticed the little bulge under her onesie and knew it was part of the umbilical cord. Dr. Elliot said it would fall out by itself over the next few days.

He kissed Emily's forehead and exited the nursery. He turned off the overhead light and turned on the monitor near the door. He turned on the monitor he held in his hand. The sound of Emily sleeping filled the air.

Roger tiptoed to the master bedroom and saw Sara fast asleep on top of the sheets. He climbed in next to her and held her in his arms.

The following day, Roger offered to give Emily a bath while Sara slept. Roger changed Emily and walked her around the room. He looked down at his daughter and kissed her forehead.

Sara was still sleeping when Roger gave Emily her bath. He found the tub in the shape of a duck, a pink towel with a princess on it, a clean diaper, a clean onesie and some music to listen to.

Roger found the Baby Einstein station on Pandora. He carefully took off the onesie and diaper that Emily had on. He threw the diaper away and poured some bottled water over Emily. She moved her little arms up and down, enjoying the cool water on her skin.

"I bet that feels good, doesn't it, baby?" Roger cooed to his little girl. He used the bottle to wet Emily's legs, chest, arms, fingers and toes. "You are so adorable."

He went to get Emily's towel when he smelled something awful. He looked to Emily and saw she was lying in brown water. She was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Quickly picking up Emily, Roger made a dash for the nursery. He put the towel under Emily just as she pooped some more. Roger found a clean diaper and onesie. This one was pink with the words 'Mommy's Girl' in white letters.

"Feel better, princess?" Roger asked his daughter. She cooed happily just as Sara entered the kitchen.

"What in the world?-" Sara questioned, looking at the mess that Roger made.

"She had a little accident, so I was tending to that," Roger explained, kissing Sara's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Still a little tired, but fine," Sara answered, looking at Emily. "You hungry, little one?"

She carried Emily to the nursery so she could nurse her. Roger cleaned up the mess and put the tub back in Emily's closet.

He watched Sara sit in the squishy armchair, nursing Emily. Emily had both her tiny hands wrapped around Sara's breast as she nursed.

* * *

When Emily turned six months old, Mark offered to watch her while Sara and Roger had a night to themselves. They went out to dinner and to a movie, something the two of them hadn't done in a really long time.

The two of them decided to see The Conjuring – a horror movie. Sara hated horror movies, but this would give Roger an excuse to put an arm around her shoulders.

Sara chewed on her nails and occasionally peeked through her fingers as she watched the movie. Roger put an arm around Sara's shoulders as they watched the movie. He took a handful of popcorn and took a sip of his cherry soda.

When the movie was over, Sara's face was a shade paler than it usually was and her hands were shaking.

She walked in front of Roger, not knowing he was behind her. She threw her popcorn tub, along with her drink away and exited the theater.

"BOO!" Roger yelled, making Sara jump three feet in the air. The people around them glared at them.

"Roger Anthony Davis! I hate you!" Sara exclaimed, whacking Roger with her purse.

"How can you hate me when I know you'll love me forever?" Roger questioned. Sara rolled her eyes and whacked Roger with her purse again. "What was that for?"

"For being the biggest jerk I know!" Sara teased, kissing him. Roger kissed her and led her out of the movie theater.

As soon as they reached the loft, they continued their kisses. Roger led Sara to the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"Roger? Sara? Is that you?" Mark's muffled voice came through the door.

"Yeah. We're kind of busy at the moment." Roger told his best friend as he and Sara made their way to the bed. Clothes came off in all directions.

Roger put his hands on either side of Sara's body and brought her to a sitting position. She looked into his emerald eyes as he removed her glasses and kissed between her eyes.

"It's been a while, huh?" Sara asked as Roger laid her on her back and climbed on top of her.

"You have no idea," Roger answered, kissing her scared spot. Sara closed her eyes as the orgasm overtook her. Roger kissed it again, his hands on her lower back. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, you're not, honey." Sara whispered as he climbed on top of her and kissed between her breasts.

Roger and Sara were now done with their lovemaking and were asleep when the bedroom door opened and Mark entered with a screaming Emily.

Sara opened her eyes and fumbled for her glasses. She put them on and looked at her daughter. Her face was bright red and her hands were balled into fists.

"Um, she's been crying like that for fifteen minutes." Mark told Sara, avoiding his gaze.

"Thanks, Mark." Sara thanked him and brought Emily to her breast. Sara sang a bit of Sweet Caroline as Emily nursed.

Roger lifted his head off the pillow and smiled. He moved closer to Sara and held her in his arms, loving the feel of her skin beneath his fingers.

"Let me put her in the nursery. I'll be right back." Sara said, not bothering to change. She knew that Mark was asleep and she really didn't care if he saw her naked or not.

She placed Emily in her crib and exited the room, getting the monitor from the front room before going to join Roger.

As Sara climbed into bed, she felt Roger watching her. She kissed him, removed her glasses, turned off the lamp and got into a comfortable position.

That's when the nightmare began. It was the one she had before – the one about Ed molesting her. She screamed out as he forced her to sleep with him.

"No! No! Stay away from me!" Sara yelled in her sleep. She tossed and turned, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Roger was fast asleep when he felt Sara kick him in the ribs. He sat straight up, rubbed his sore ribs and turned on the bedside lamp. He saw Sara tossing and turning, obviously having a nightmare.

She sat up at that moment and yelled out. Roger held out his arms for her and held her.

"Shh, shh. I'm here. It's okay. Whatever happened, it was just a dream. You're safe here." Roger soothed as he rocked Sara in his arms. She cried loudly, her sobs shaking her small body. He ran a hand through her hair and kissed the top of her head.

Sara finished crying and fell asleep in Roger's arms, which was the safest place for her at the moment.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

_Two years later_

"Honey, I'm off to work then to the store. I'll be back in time to take Emily to her first ballet class." Sara called.

"Okay. Love you, sweetness." Roger told Sara, exiting the nursery. Emily was now two years old and looked more like Roger with each passing day. She had Sara's eyes, nose and chin.

Sara pecked Roger on the cheek before heading out the door and to the record store.

She signed in and went right to work. She sang Sweet Caroline as she cleaned up the store.

The bell above the door rang and Eduardo entered the store, a look of hunger in his eyes. Besides Sara, there was no one in the store. The manager was running an errand and Mandy, Sara's co-worker, would be coming after lunch, so in other words, in four hours. He locked the door and pulled the shades down on all the windows.

Sara went to help the customer, a broad smile on her face. It quickly faded when she saw it was Eduardo. She went to hide among the shelves, hoping that Eduardo didn't find her.

"Found you!" Eduardo purred in Sara's ear. She struggled in his grasp, not giving up.

"Leave me alone!" Sara yelled. Eduardo smiled and put a piece of duct tape over her mouth and handcuffed her wrists. He then removed her sandals and bound her ankles with duct tape.

He put her in a chair and handcuffed her wrists behind the chair. Sara felt her heart thudding loudly as Eduardo licked his lips.

"If you do anything to me, I will kill you," Eduardo threatened, putting a knife blade to her throat. He took off her glasses and broke them as Sara inhaled sharply and gulped. He chuckled evilly and put the knife to Sara's shirt. He cut it off her body, along with her bra. A little blood ran down her sternum, but Ed didn't seem to notice or care. He looked at her breasts and brought his head to her chest. He placed his hands on the arms of the chair and brought his face to Sara's. "Such a pretty girl you've become."

He kissed each of Sara's breasts. She craned her head away from him. He leaned down and unzipped Sara's jeans. He removed her underwear and unzipped his own jeans, his hands on her ribs. Sara gasped in pain as he entered her roughly. She felt something break inside her and knew that he had broken one of her ribs. She instantly struggled for breath.

"You like that, don't you?" Eduardo purred in Sara's ear. She shook her head and screamed, but it was muffled. "You are so beautiful."

He spent more time with her before slashing her jaw lines with the knife. He kissed her cheek and exited the store. He then pulled the shades up and unlocked the door.

Sara was crying, undressed and scared when her manager found her. He carefully removed the duct tape from Sara's mouth and ankles. He then unlocked the handcuffs and put ice on Sara's wrists. She cried out in pain as she rubbed between her legs, putting her jeans and underwear back on.

"Would you call Roger, please?" Sara asked the manager, her voice hoarse. He nodded and went to call Roger. The manager came back ten minutes later.

"He's on his way." The manager told Sara. She felt bile rise in her throat and stumbled toward the bathroom. She threw up for five minutes before flushing the toilet and washed her hands.

By the time Sara went to the front of the store, Roger and some medics were waiting for her. She fell into Roger's arms and sobbed loudly. He rubbed her back and held her against him. He removed his light jacket and placed it over Sara, noticing her exposed chest.

"Let's get you to the hospital," Roger told his wife. She nodded and went over to the medic. He got her into the ambulance and motioned for Roger to come along. He held Sara's hand and looked into her eyes. "What happened?"

"Eduardo. Found. Me." Sara wheezed. She knew that she broke a rib or two, hence the shortness of breath. Roger squeezed her hand, hoping that she would be all right.

She and Roger were taken to the emergency room. Roger quickly filled out the proper paperwork and handed it to the nurse. He then put his head in his hands and grabbed his hair. He then began sobbing.

"Roger?" a kind voice asked. He looked up and straightened up. He looked into the kind face of Dr. Elliot. "What happened?"

"Sara's cousin, who molested her when she was thirteen, did it again," Roger explained, trying to control his temper. "I hate this guy!"

"There's good news and bad news," Dr. Elliot told Roger, leading him back. "The good news is that there's no internal damage, except for a broken rib. She's being treated for that. The bad news is that she can't have more children – there's too much damage to her reproductive organs."

"What about S-E-X?" Roger asked.

"Don't even think about it. Any sex can damage the organs even more, which would put Sara's life in danger." The doctor told Roger.

"May I see her?" Roger inquired.

"She's having some tests run, just to make sure she doesn't have any STDs or HIV," The doctor answered. "She also needs a blood test, urine test and a CT Scan, just to see if there's any damage we can't see."

"So, I'm taking that as a 'no'." Roger said.

"I'll take you to the room she's staying in. Now, Roger, be prepared if she screams, yells, curses or doesn't want to see you. She was molested and is very scared." The doctor told Roger. He nodded and thanked her, not knowing what to expect.

Around 5:45 PM, a bed carrying Sara was wheeled into the room. Roger looked over and saw that she was asleep. He saw two long scrapes down her jaw lines. He kissed her hand and went to sit in a chair near the bed. Other than the hall light and bedside lamp, there wasn't much light.

He sat in the dark room, not knowing what to do. He went into the hallway to call Mark to let him know what happened.

"Oh my God! Will she be okay?" Mark asked.

"I-I don't know," Roger stammered, running a hand through his hair. "We can't have sex or more kids."

"What?" Mark inquired.

"I know," Roger said. A thought then dawned on him. "What if she wants to leave me?"

"Rog, she would never leave you – she's madly in love with you." Mark told his best friend.

"How's Emily?" Roger questioned, changing subjects.

"She's fine. We're watching The Swan Princess then she's gonna go to bed." Mark told Roger. Roger smiled.

"Can I talk to her?" Roger asked.

"Yeah. Hold on," Mark said, putting the phone on speaker. "Honey, your daddy is on the phone."

"Dada," Emily's little voice greeted Roger's ears. He started sobbing. "Dada no cry."

"Honey, your mommy got hurt really bad, so I'm with her," Roger explained, choosing his words carefully.

"I see her?" Emily questioned.

"Not now, sweetheart. Your uncle Mark is gonna take care of you," Roger told her. "I need to go see mommy now. I love you, baby. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Otay. Love you dada." Emily told her dad. Roger kissed the phone and hung it up. He then went to Sara's room and looked at his sleeping bride.

The scrapes on Sara's face were stitched. There were some small bruises and cuts on her face, but none were life threatening. He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand. He saw red marks from where her wrists were handcuffed.

He looked under her hospital gown and saw that there was a thin bandage on her sternum and her ribs were taped. His eyes traveled down her legs and saw that she had cuts and bruises.

Sara moaned in her sleep and opened her eyes. She quickly closed them, as if Roger would harm her.

"Sweetheart. It's me. You're okay," Roger soothed. Sara looked into Roger's eyes and sobbed. He rubbed her back and ran a hand through her hair. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Eduardo. Found. Me. Couldn't. Move. He. Did. This. To. Me." Sara wheezed. Roger knew it was hard for her to breathe, but at least she wasn't freaking out. Roger kissed her forehead.

"Where are your glasses?" Roger asked.

"He. Broke. Them." Sara answered. Roger frowned and took her hand in his.

"Honey, I have some awful news," Roger started. "We can't have more children or sex."

"Ever?" Sara asked. Roger nodded his head. He kissed Sara's hand and she jerked it away. "Don't. Touch. Me. Please. I'm. Really. Scared."

"I wish there was something I could do. I love you so much." Roger told Sara.

"You. Can. Be. Here. With. Me." Sara told him. Roger smiled and sat on the chair beside her bed.

* * *

Five days later, Sara was allowed to go home. Dr. Elliot put her on strict bed rest and no work for at least a month.

They entered the loft. Roger kissed Sara's forehead as he slid the door open. Mark and Emily were there to greet them.

"Honey, you remember my best friend, Mark, right?" Roger questioned. Sara nodded and looked at Emily. She smiled and held her arms out for the little girl. Emily ran into Sara's arms. Sara carefully hugged her daughter, being careful of her broken rib.

Sara went to lie down while Roger made lunch for the two of them. Mark offered to take Emily to the park and out to lunch.

Roger carefully carried the tray of nachos to the master bedroom. He put it on the bed and went to get two bottles of water and some salsa.

"Hey," Roger greeted Sara as he sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward to kiss her, but she pulled back. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

Sara nodded and Roger went to their movie collection. The two of them watched four Disney movies while they ate their nachos. Roger looked over once in a while and saw Sara smiling.

"I have to go to band practice. I love you." Roger told Sara when Lady and the Tramp finished. They had watched Cinderella, Tangled, Tarzan and Lady and the Tramp. She nodded and closed her eyes when Roger kissed her forehead.

"I love you, too." Sara told him. Roger smiled and handed Sara her phone.

"Mark and Emily should be home from the park soon. I'll leave the bedroom door open so you can hear them." Roger said, kissing Sara's forehead again.

He exited the loft and went to the bar on A and 8th Avenues. He smiled as he entered and hugged his band mates.

"How's Sara doing?" Adam asked, going to the drum set.

"She's all right." Roger answered, picking up his guitar. It felt good in his hands as he ran his fingers over the strings. He played Musetta's Waltz and smiled.

Roger wrote a new song for the band called Sara Smile. He crooned the chorus into the mic as Adam, Dennis, Gabe and Frank played the beautiful song behind him.

"Guys, I gotta go home now. I'll be by sometime tomorrow." Roger told his friends after an hour of practice.

He exited the bar and headed home, anxious to see Sara and Emily – the only things that mattered at the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

_Three years later_

Roger and Sara were meeting with the adoption agent. Since they couldn't have kids, they decided to adopt one instead. They decided to adopt a girl between the ages of 6 and 14. They loved boys, but were more drawn to girls.

They had seen the girl they were considering adopting. Her name was Cassidy June and she was eleven-years-old.

She had shoulder-length curly brown hair and brown eyes. She was extremely skinny, but Sara, Roger and their friends would do something about that.

Her interests included – reading, writing, singing and playing the violin. She also loved animals, drawing and photography. She also loved the Harry Potter series and considered herself a cross between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, just like Sara did.

They had brought Emily to meet her potential adoptive sister. Cassidy and Emily instantly hit it off, which was a good sign.

That night, Roger and Sara were getting ready for bed when Mark entered their room.

"Hey Mark." Sara greeted him, exiting the bathroom.

"I just want to tell you guys that I'm moving out. I met this really sweet, awesome girl and we're moving in together." Mark told his friends.

"Oh, that's right Andrea. She's the waitress at the sushi place we like!" Roger recalled. "She's cute."

Sara slapped Roger's bare chest, pretending to be offended. He kissed her and wrapped his arms around her. They made out in front of Mark, who looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Um, guys. I'm still here." Mark told his friends. Sara pulled away from Roger and hugged Mark. He returned the hug.

"You'll visit us, right?" Sara asked. Mark nodded and broke out of the hug. He went to hug Roger, thumping him hard on the back. Roger thumped Mark's back and broke out of the hug.

"We'll miss you, Marky." Roger said.

"Please don't call me that." Mark told Roger.

The three of them talked a while longer before Mark left the room. Sara walked over to Roger and kissed him. He kissed her and put his hands on either side of her, drawing her close to him.

"Do we want to try?" Roger asked, rubbing his hands up and down Sara's arms. She nodded and led the way to the bed. "We'll take it slow. Let me know if I hurt you."

"Hun, you could never hurt me." Sara told Roger. He kissed her and climbed on top of her. Sara rubbed her hands over him. He lifted her shirt over her head and unsnapped her bra. He massaged her breasts and kissed each one.

"How are you doing?" Roger asked as he took off Sara's underwear.

"I'm doing okay, sweetie." Sara answered, removing Roger's boxers.

He entered her, which made her cry out. He pulled out and took Sara in his arms.

"I'm so sorry." Roger apologized, kissing Sara's face, his hands on either side of her tiny body.

"It's all right." Sara told him, bringing one of Roger's hands to her mouth. She kissed each finger, looking into Roger's kind eyes.

"Sar, that feels so good," Roger moaned. Sara finished with his hand and brought the other to her mouth. "Would you like a massage?"

Sara nodded, put her hair in a high ponytail and laid on her back. Roger found the massage oil and rubbed some on his hands. He started at her shoulders and gently rubbed them in a circular motion. He rubbed each of her fingers and then rubbed her neck.

"You doing okay?" Roger asked, kissing Sara's lips. She nodded and continued to watch Roger give her a massage. His hands traveled down her neck and gently massaged her breasts. He then massaged her torso and went between her legs. He then massaged her legs and the bottoms of her feet, which made Sara laugh.

Roger motioned for Sara to turn over on her stomach. She did what Roger told her and felt him massage the back of her neck and her back.

"Okay, you're done." Roger told her.

"Can I give you one?" Sara asked. Roger nodded and handed her the massage oil. "Do you want your front or back done first?"

"Front is fine with me." Roger answered, getting into a comfortable position. She rubbed some oil on her hands and started at Roger's shoulders. She then rubbed his arms, fingers and neck. She then kissed his lips as she massaged his chest.

She then massaged between his legs, feeling him extend. She smiled and massaged Roger's legs and feet, making sure to get between his toes.

Roger flipped over on his stomach as Sara massaged the back of his neck and back.

"That felt good. Thank you, baby," Roger thanked Sara as she climbed under the covers. He kissed her forehead and took her in his arms. "I noticed that Cassidy looks a lot like you."

Sara didn't want to say anything, but Cassidy was the daughter she gave up for adoption nine years ago. She had thought that Cassidy was safe with Rose, but something must've happened for Cassidy to be at the orphanage.

"Yeah…She does." Sara responded, her voice coming from far away.

"Babe, you okay?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and snuggled against him. She then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Emily came running into Sara and Roger's room. By this point, Sara had put on her nightshirt and boxers, while Roger slept in an old pair of sweat pants.

Sara turned on the light and saw tears streaming down Emily's face. She got out of bed and went to her little girl.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Sara asked, getting to Emily's level.

"I had a bad dream." Emily sobbed. Sara carefully picked Emily up and put her between herself and Roger.

At that point, Roger opened his eyes and turned on the bedside lamp. Sara had gone back to sleep and Emily was crying.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Roger asked.

"I had a bad dream." Emily wailed. Roger held out his arms and Emily crawled over to him. He kissed the top of her head as he turned out the lamp.

Emily cried herself to sleep. Roger carefully got out of bed and carried Emily back to her room. He tucked her in and turned on her princess nightlight.

He then walked back to the master bedroom and collapsed on the bed. He began snoring, which Sara kicked him for. He stopped and brought Sara close to him. He kissed her ear as they fell asleep, breathing in her scent.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

_Two months later_

Roger was making breakfast while Sara and Emily slept. He hummed Sara Smile as he made scrambled eggs, French toast, crescent rolls filled with chocolate and peanut butter and buttermilk pancakes. To drink, there was orange, tomato and apple juice. There was also water and milk – both skim and chocolate – to drink.

As he was about to put the pancake batter onto the griddle, the phone rang.

"_Speak_!" rang out Mark and Roger's voices. He rolled his eyes and went to answer the phone, making a mental note to change the answering machine message.

"Mr. and Mrs. Davis, this is Laurie Young, your social worker. Congratulations, the adoption went through – Cassidy's yours! I will be bringing her by sometime today. Give me a call on my cell phone, if you plan to go out anywhere. Hope to see you soon. Bye!" the social worker's voice rang through the loft.

"YES!" Roger whooped, dancing around the kitchen. Sara slid the door open to the master bedroom and watched Roger do some crazy dancing. He saw her and pulled her over. Sara laughed and kissed Roger.

"What's going on?" Sara asked.

"The adoption went through – Cassidy's ours!" Roger told Sara, his tone excited. Sara squealed and put her arms round Roger's neck. He picked her up and spun her. She squealed and kissed him as he set her down. Sara then went to wake Emily up, telling her that breakfast was ready.

They finished making breakfast and quickly ate. The three of them cleaned the house, listening to the Broadway station on Pandora. Emily helped clean, but stopped when she felt tired and went to her room to take a nap.

"We'll call you when Cassidy comes." Sara said, kissing the top of Emily's head. She smiled and cuddled with her stuffed orange cat.

Roger and Sara were done cleaning and were relaxing on the couch when there was a knock on the door. Sara went to answer the door and smiled when she saw the social worker and Cassidy standing before her.

"Hey. Come on in." Sara told the social worker and Cassidy. Cassidy smiled and entered the loft.

"Hi Sara. Hi Roger," Cassidy chirped and hugged both of them. "Where's Emily?"

"She's resting, but should be up soon, sweetie." Sara told Cassidy. Cassidy smiled and sat on the couch. Roger had gone to wake up Emily.

"Well, it looks like I'm not needed, so Cassidy, if you're set here, I'm gonna go." The social worker said. Cassidy nodded and looked over at her, making a shooing motion with her hands. The social worker laughed and exited the loft.

"Cassidy, are you hungry?" Roger asked, coming out of Emily's room, carrying a still sleeping Emily.

"Um, not really, Roger." Cassidy answered, going through her bag.

"Okay. At 5:30, we're meeting our friends at the Life Café. Wanna come?" Sara questioned.

"Sure. That sounds like fun, unless you want me to babysit Emily." Cassidy said.

"Emily's coming with us, sweetie." Sara told Cassidy.

"All right." Cassidy said, rummaging through the backpack she had brought with her.

"Roger, are you okay watching Emily while Cassidy and I go shopping?" Sara asked later that day.

"Sure, sweetie." Roger told Sara, kissing her cheek.

She and Cassidy exited the house and went to the mall. They browsed clothing store after clothing store.

"Hey, Sara, can we go to Thread's?" Cassidy asked.

"Sure, sweetheart." Sara answered. The two of them entered the store and looked around. Cassidy found four pairs of jeans that she loved, along with some tops.

They stopped for pizza in the food court. Sara smiled at Cassidy from across the table.

"You know, honey, now that we've adopted you, you can call us Mom and Dad. You can also call Emily your sister." Sara told Cassidy.

"I don't feel comfortable calling you that yet." Cassidy said, picking at her pizza.

"Okay, sweetie. Are you done shopping?" Sara inquired. Cassidy nodded and stood up.

"If I tell you something, will you promise to keep it a secret?" Cassidy questioned as they exited the mall.

"Of course." Sara said, putting the shopping bags from Thread's, Hot Topic, Icing and Clothez in the trunk.

"I have a little brother, well actually, he's my half-brother. We have the same dad, but different moms. I don't know what happened to my or his mom and I know that our dad isn't around anymore. I really want to find him," Cassidy said. She then groped for a chain around her neck and opened a heart-shaped locket. "This is my brother, Brandon."

"He's adorable. How old is he?" Sara asked, looking at the picture. It showed Cassidy with her arms around a dark-haired little boy. He wore blue glasses and had green-gray eyes.

"He turned five last week." Cassidy answered, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

"He's lucky to have a sister like you," Sara told her as they exited the parking lot. "Do you know where he is?"

Cassidy shook her head and looked out the window. Sara sighed and drove home, the silence hanging around them like a ghost.

* * *

At 4:30, Cassidy went to take a shower and get ready to go out. She decided to wear one of her new outfits. She wore a pair of whitewashed jeans and a white T-shirt that had Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony on it in a black outline, which she got at Thread's.

After she took her shower, she got dressed and blow-dried her hair. Once her hair was dry, she put it in a high ponytail. She then put on some lip balm.

Cassidy then exited the bathroom and went to her room to finish taking care of her new clothes.

She was putting her jeans in her closet when there was a knock on the door.

"It's open," Cassidy said, turning off her music player just as Roger entered. "Hey Roger!"

"Hey Cassidy. I thought I would tell you about our friends before you meet them, okay?" Roger said. Cassidy nodded and went to sit with Roger on her bed.

"Tell me their names and what they do. I'm really interested." Cassidy said. Roger laughed and hugged her.

"Okay, I'll start with my best friend. His name is Mark-" Roger started when Cassidy cut him off.

"I thought Sara was your best friend?" Cassidy asked, a little confusion in her voice.

"You can have more than one best friend, sweetie. I just happen to have seven amazing best friends," Roger told her, laughing. "Anyway, there's Mark – he's a camera man working for a big news company. Next is Mark's fiancée, Andrea. She works as a waitress at a sushi place called Something's Fishy. Sara and I will take you there sometime, if you like sushi.

Then there's Tom Collins – he goes by Collins only. He teaches Computer Studies at NYU. His girlfriend, Angel is also a student at NYU, studying fashion.

Joanne's a lawyer. Her partner, Maureen, is a drama teacher and a little bit of a drama queen herself.

Last, but not least, is Benny. He works at his ex-father-in-law's law office, doing paperwork." Roger told Cassidy.

"They sound like awesome friends." Cassidy said, fiddling with the front of her shirt.

"I know they will love you, just like Sara, Emily and I do," Roger told her, hugging her again. "We'll leave here in about ten minutes, okay?"

"Okay. Is it all right if I practice my violin until we leave?" Cassidy asked, indicating to a violin case.

"Of course it is. You don't have to ask for anything, honey." Roger replied. He watched her get off the bed and open her violin case. She then got out her portable music stand and put some sheet music on the stand.

Cassidy then ran her bow across the strings, warming up. She then looked at the music on the stand and played Musetta's Waltz.

Roger watched with interest before going to his room and got his guitar. The two of them had a little jam session before Sara came into the room.

"There you two are! Come on!" Sara urged.

The four of them headed out the door five minutes later. They reached the Life Café ten minutes later.

Sara smiled and spotted Collins, Angel, Mark and Andrea at a large table near the back of the café.

"Hey guys!" Sara greeted them, hugging each person. Roger and Emily hugged the four of them before Sara turned to Cassidy. "This is Collins, Angel, Mark and Andrea. Collins, Angel, Mark and Andrea, this is Cassidy."

"It's so nice to meet you guys." Cassidy told the four of them just as Maureen, Joanne and Benny entered the café.

"Hi Roger, Sara and Emily." The three newcomers greeted Emily, Sara and Roger. They then looked at Cassidy. "Who's this?"

"This is the newest addition to our family – meet Cassidy June Davis." Sara said.

Cassidy ended up seated next to Sara and Mark. They had a great time and almost all the conversation was focused on Cassidy. She answered all questions honestly as she ate her dinner.

Sara, Roger, Emily and Cassidy left to go back to the loft at 9:45. Cassidy was starting school the following day and wanted to get plenty of sleep.

Cassidy brushed her teeth and put on her pajamas. She then went to say goodnight to Sara and Roger. Emily was already in bed and would also be starting first grade the following day. Cassidy would be going into 5th grade.

"I just wanted to say goodnight and thank you for adopting me." Cassidy told Roger and Sara. They smiled and hugged her.

"You're welcome, sweetie. I'll wake you up at 7:00, okay?" Sara told Cassidy. She nodded and walked to her room, happy to finally have a home.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Exactly at 7:00 the following morning, there was a soft knock on Cassidy's door. She put the pillow over her head just as the overhead light was flipped on.

"Cass, come on. It's time to get up for school," Sara's soothing voice greeted Cassidy's ears. She poked her head out from under the pillow and got out of bed. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Cereal, please." Cassidy told Sara as she went to her armchair. Sara smiled and exited the room so that Cassidy could get dressed.

Cassidy ended up wearing a green and white striped T-shirt and nice blue jeans. She put her hair half up, half down and went to the kitchen.

"Hey honey. I made your lunch," Roger said, handing Cassidy a paper bag with CASSIDY written in purple block letters. Purple just happened to be Cassidy's favorite color. "How does peanut butter and jelly, green pepper slices, apple slices and a brownie sound?"

"Awesome. Thank you, Roger." Cassidy thanked him, throwing her arms around his neck. Roger smiled and patted her back lovingly.

Cassidy ate her cereal and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She then grabbed her blue backpack and waited for Emily, Roger and Sara to get ready. The four of them would walk to the elementary school together.

"Cass, could you pick up Emily from her class and walk her home, please?" Roger asked.

"Sure. I can do that." Cassidy told him.

Sara and Roger watched their girls enter the elementary school. Cassidy turned around and ran back to Sara and Roger.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Sara asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to say I love you guys and Emily wants Roger to walk her to class. Sara, would you walk me to my class, please?" Cassidy asked. Sara nodded and took Cassidy's hand.

They passed the first grade class, which was room 113. The teacher's name was Miss Jones.

She went with Cassidy to her sixth grade class. Her teacher's name was Mr. Parker and he was in room 201. She instantly found her desk and sat down. She then turned to Sara and waved, assuring her she was okay.

A few minutes later, class started. Cassidy got out her Mickey Mouse pen and matching notebook. The kids had seven lessons that day – English, Social Studies, Science, Math, Spanish, Music and Gym, with lunch time being between Math and Science. Cassidy made four new friends, three girls and a boy named Jason. She would call Jason her best friend, since she met him first.

Before Cassidy knew it, it was time to go home. She exited the elementary school and headed to the loft, her thoughts focused on Jason and her new friends.

* * *

Roger was waiting for her when she got home, a furious look on his face. Cassidy felt her stomach drop to her shoes as she entered the loft.

"Hey Roger." She greeted him meekly.

"Did you forget something?" Roger asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Cassidy hung her head – she forgot to pick up Emily. "We got a call from Emily's first grade teacher, Miss Jones. Apparently, you forgot to pick her up, like I said this morning. Don't worry – Sara's on her way to get Emily. I trusted you to pick up Emily!"

"Roger, I'm sorry! It won't happen again! I promise!" Cassidy pleaded.

"I don't want to hear it. Go to your room – don't come out until dinner!" Roger told Cassidy. She felt tears stream down her cheeks as she ran to her room and slid the door shut behind her.

She sobbed for the longest time, the tears staining her pillow. When she ran out of tears, she got out her violin and played for an hour. The notes blurred on the page, so Cassidy put her violin away. She went to her bed and picked up the stuffed rabbit she had since she was a baby. When she could talk, she named him Carrots.

There was a soft knock on the door. Cassidy didn't feel like talking to anyone, but she opened the door anyway. Sara entered the room and sat on Cassidy's bed. She patted the spot beside her and Cassidy moved over next to her.

"We gave you a responsibility and you blew it," Sara started. "How are we supposed to trust you?"

"Sara, I'm so sorry!" Cassidy apologized.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Sara said. "Roger and I don't know what to do with you right now."

Cassidy felt new tears in her eyes, preparing for Sara to yell at her.

"I was thinking that your punishment would be to do extra chores the rest of the week. I would like you to vacuum the rug in the sitting area, water all the plants in the loft, make one meal with help from me or Roger, empty the dishwasher, take the garbage out and clean both your and Emily's rooms. After you've done all of that, we'll talk about some sort of reward," Sara told Cassidy, her tone frustrated. She then calmed down. "I hope you know that Roger, Emily and I love you very much."

Cassidy nodded and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Sara kissed the top of Cassidy's head and exited the room. Cassidy took a minute to pull herself together before going to Emily's room.

"You can do this, Cass," Cassidy told herself as she knocked on her little sister's door. "Em? Can I talk to you?"

"Come in." Emily told Cassidy. Cassidy took a deep breath and entered Emily's room. She could tell that Emily had been crying – her cheeks were puffy and her eyes were red.

"Emily, I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry for walking home without you. I didn't mean to forget you."

"Why did you forget me? Don't you love me?" Emily asked. The words stung Cassidy's heart like a thousand bees. Cassidy took Emily in her arms and stroked her hair.

At that moment, Sara and Roger were walking by and peered in at the two girls.

"Of course I love you, Em – nothing will change that. I'm sorry I forgot you – I had my head in the clouds. I will never do that again." Cassidy told Emily, kissing the top of her head. She then exited the room, almost running into Sara and Roger.

"We saw what you did – that was very touching," Roger told Cassidy, kissing her forehead. "Sara and I talked and we decided to not ground you, but we will have to punish you somehow. Sara told me that she gave you extra chores to do this week," Roger told Cassidy. She nodded. He then turned to Sara. "I think that's a fair punishment, sweetie."

Cassidy went to Emily's room and read her some books until dinner. She finished with her favorite book called _Chicken Sunday_.

The four of them had dinner 45 minutes later, which was hamburgers, broccoli and watermelon. They had a great dinner conversation, which relived some of the tension that had been hanging in the air.

Sara and Roger did dishes while the girls got ready for bed. Sara and Roger said goodnight to the girls before retreating to the master bedroom.

"Honey, I have some exciting news." Sara told Roger as she put on her pajamas.

"What?" Roger inquired, also putting on his pajamas.

"I went to my doctor this morning and she told me that my reproductive organs are healed enough, and that if we wanted to, we could try to have a baby." Sara answered, putting her hair into a braid.

"That is the most wonderful thing I've heard all day," Roger said, drawing her close to him. "Should we tell the girls before we – you know?"

"If I do carry this baby full term, we'll tell the kids then. I don't want to risk it." Sara told Roger, feeling his hands go up her nightshirt and pull it off her head.

"You mean there's a chance you might miscarry?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and turned so she was facing Roger. He ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead.

The two of them made love for a while before Sara grew tired. Roger pulled her close to him and rested his head on her neck.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

_Six months later_

The girls were in school while Sara and Roger went to their doctor's appointment to see what they were having.

Dr. Elliot smiled and entered the room. She had Sara lie flat on the examining table and roll up her T-shirt. Sara did what the doctor told her and squeezed Roger's hand.

She put the special gel on Sara's stomach and used the wand to find the baby. There was a long silence until they heard the baby's heartbeat.

"Looks like you two are getting the boy you've been wanting," Dr. Elliot told the couple. Roger and Sara looked at the screen and smiled. Their little boy was making himself comfortable in Sara's uterus. "Sara, I don't know if you'll be able to get to the hospital in time for your due date – your due date is December 14th, so I don't know if the roads will be cleared, so how would you like to have a home delivery? I live five miles away, but have a sister who lives near you guys. When your due date gets closer, I'll come to your place, okay?"

Sara nodded, not taking her eyes off her little man. After four miscarriages, she was finally carrying a baby full term. She nodded and thanked Dr. Elliot for all that she was doing for the family.

Dr. Elliot had Sara sit up so that she could clean the gel off Sara's stomach. Roger helped Sara off the examining table and kissed her temple. The two of them exited the examining room and went to the pharmacy so that Sara could refill her prenatal vitamin prescription.

Roger, Mark, Collins and Benny spent the next day repainting the nursery. Emily and Cassidy were now sharing a room. The newest thing to the room was a red velvet curtain that divided the room evenly.

Sara, Joanne, Angel and Maureen spent the day at the spa. The girls were at Mark's sister's house.

The boys decided to paint the room a deep blue and have white curtains, along with furniture.

"Where do you want the name stencils?" Mark asked.

"Over his crib." Roger answered as he assembled the mobile. He, Sara and the girls had agreed on the name Jace Tyler Davis.

Collins opened a window to let the paint fumes out, since they would be harmful to Sara and the little guy.

The finishing touch were the pictures. Roger found ones of him, Sara and the girls as babies and had framed them. His favorite was the picture of him and Sara bringing Emily, then Cassidy, home.

Sara and the girls arrived home an hour later. Sara hugged Roger and kissed him. Roger smiled and kissed her back, his hands resting on her stomach.

Roger put his hands over Sara's eyes and guided her to the nursery. He removed his hands as Sara looked around, completely in awe.

"This is amazingly beautiful! Thank you guys!" Sara squealed as she stood in the doorway. She didn't want to enter – she could see everything perfectly.

Towards evening, everyone left, except Roger and Sara. The girls had come home and looked at their little brother's nursery.

Roger ordered pizza, which he, Emily and Cassidy ate. Sara told her family she wasn't feeling well and headed to the master bedroom. She laid down and instantly went to sleep. For the first time in a long time, she didn't have the dreams of being molested – those had left her when Eduardo was discovered dead in his jail cell two years ago.

She heard Roger enter the room and sit next to her.

"Baby, are you okay?" Roger asked, taking Sara in his arms.

"Yeah – I'm just exhausted from all that happened today." Sara answered as she watched Roger slide her top up and gently massage her stomach. Sara moaned sleepily and sat up, discarding her top and bra.

Roger removed her jeans, along with his and slid on top of her. Sara removed Roger's boxers as he removed her leopard-print underwear.

"I'll be gentle – I promise." Roger whispered, nibbling on Sara's earlobe. His hands groped her bottom and gently squeezed it. She moaned softly, which made Roger smile.

"Mind the baby, okay?" Sara reminded Roger, turning over on her back. Roger nodded and awkwardly climbed on top of her. He kissed her bulging stomach and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and had her sit up. She wrapped her legs around him and moved closer to him.

The two of them made love for three hours before Sara felt herself grow tired. She fell back against the pillows and looked over at Roger.

Roger kissed her forehead and watched her sleep. He fell asleep forty minutes later, holding Sara in his arms.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

_Three months later_

Sara was in the middle of a deep sleep when she felt a horrible throbbing pain in her back. She turned over and looked at the clock – 1:14 AM it read.

She slowly got out of bed and began pacing. Roger was still sleeping and turned over, feeling for Sara. He turned on the bedside lamp and saw her pacing, taking deep breaths as she did so.

"What are you doing?" Roger mumbled. It came out 'wha you doin?'

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Sara snapped. "I'm sorry, I just have a horrible pain in my back and it won't go away."

Roger was awake and went to Sara's side, banging his knee on the bedside table. He cursed loudly and limped over to Sara. She laughed and then whimpered in pain.

"Baby, it's okay," Roger assured Sara as he called Dr. Elliot. There had been a huge snowstorm the night before and the roads hadn't been cleared. "Her water broke and her contractions are about twenty minutes apart…Uh huh…Okay….That would be great, thank you," He hung up and turned to Sara. "Honey, Dr. Elliot's on her way to deliver our little guy, but you need to stay calm, okay?"

Sara nodded and watched as Roger retrieved the rubber mattress. He removed the sheets and put the rubber mattress on top of the regular one. He helped Sara to the bed and had her lay down on it.

"I'm impressed – someone's been watching _Call the Midwife_." Sara teased as she laid down on the bed, all the pillows were behind her, along with Roger.

"Hey – it's a good show." Roger said, squeezing her hand.

The girls were beginning to suspect something was happening and exited their room. They began tiptoeing to the master bedroom when they saw Dr. Elliot enter the loft, along with three nurses.

Dr. Elliot smiled briefly at the girls and quickly made her way to the master bedroom.

"Okay, how far dilated are you?" Dr. Elliot asked, going to Sara's front. Sara pushed herself up on her elbows, with Roger's help.

"About five centimeters." Sara whimpered. Dr. Elliot carefully looked between Sara's legs and had her spread her legs a little. Roger held Sara's hand and kissed her forehead. Dr. Elliot then put a gloved hand between Sara's legs and felt around. She smiled and threw her gloves away before putting on a new pair.

"Your little boy is in a really good position. Just relax and we'll do this together, okay?" Dr. Elliot told Sara. She then looked over and saw the girls standing in the doorway. "Girls, could you get me a baby blanket, two bath towels and some water, please?"

The girls nodded and went to get the things that the doctor had wanted. While they were gone, Dr. Elliot checked the baby again.

"Ow!" Sara yelped, closing her eyes. Roger looked over and saw that a contraction was searing through her.

"Honey, it's okay," Roger soothed, losing all the feeling in his hand. He switched hands and rubbed Sara's back just as the girls came into the room, bringing all the things the doctor wanted. "Girls, go back to bed. I'll let you know when your brother comes."

"Will mommy be okay?" Emily asked.

"She's having a baby, sweetie," Dr. Elliot told Emily as she checked the positioning again. "Okay, Sara, on my count, push!"

One of the nurses escorted the girls back to their room and closed the door. The gross part was coming and they didn't want the girls to see the birth, fearing it would give them nightmares.

Sara leaned forward, sweat and tears streaming down her face. Roger rubbed her back and soothed her as Dr. Elliot counted down from ten to one.

"AAAHHHH!" Sara screamed. Roger held her and continued rubbing her back. She leaned back against Roger's chest when she was done pushing.

"His head is almost here. Keep pushing!" Dr. Elliot encouraged. Roger sipped his coffee and rubbed Sara's back. She had been in labor for twelve hours and was getting tired.

"Don't give up yet, sweetie. It's okay," Roger encouraged, kissing Sara's temple. He looked over her shoulder and saw an enormous bubble. "His beautiful head has just emerged."

Sara took some calm breaths as she prepared to deliver the rest of her son. By now, a nurse had taken one of Sara's legs and Roger had taken the other.

Two hours later, Sara let out a final grunt and pushed her baby into the world. Dr. Elliot smiled and turned the little guy around. He was screaming at the top of his lungs. He was also bloody and pink.

Roger cried as he cut his son's umbilical cord. The newborn was then taken over to one of the nurses, who put him on a portable scale. She then measured him, cleaned him and wrapped him in a blanket.

"He's 7 pounds, 5 ounces and is 17.2 inches long." The nurse told Roger as she put the baby in his arms. He walked over to Sara, who was resting.

"Honey, are you okay?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and held her arms outstretched. "He's so handsome."

Roger looked at his watch – it was now 3:17 the following afternoon. Both Cassidy and Emily were still sleeping, which Roger was okay with. They were on winter break, so they could do what they wanted.

He watched Sara nurse the newborn as Dr. Elliot and her team of nurses left the loft, congratulating Roger and Sara on the birth of their son.

At 3:45, Cassidy came into the room. Sara was sleeping and Roger had just entered the room.

"Honey, would you like to meet your brother?" Roger whispered. Cassidy nodded and followed Roger to the nursery. "He's sleeping right now, so just let him, okay?"

"Okay, Roger." Cassidy told him, taking his hand and entered the nursery.

Jace was asleep on his back, swaddled in a blue blanket. On his head was a blue cap.

"When Sara wakes up, she and I are going to take Jace to the hospital. Sara had him at home, so the doctor just wants to make sure Jace and Sara are okay," Roger explained. "Collins and Angel are gonna spend some time with you girls."

Roger escorted Cassidy out of the room. She hugged Roger and went to the bedroom she shared with Emily.

He then went to the master bedroom to check on Sara. She was somewhat awake and smiled at Roger as he entered the room.

"We should get going soon. Collins and Angel are on their way." Roger told Sara. He carefully helped her stand and led her to the bathroom. He stood outside the shower, washing the blood and membrane off Sara's body. He then lathered some shampoo onto his hands and washed Sara's hair.

Twenty minutes later, Roger, Sara and Jace were ready to head out the door. Roger and Sara waved goodbye to Angel and Collins, told the girls to behave and exited the loft.

Halfway to the hospital, Jace began crying. Sara, who was sitting in back with him sang a lullaby and looked lovingly at him.

"_Hush little Jacey don't you cry and I'll sing you a lullaby_." Sara sang, her voice gentle and soothing. Roger looked in the rearview mirror and smiled.

They reached the hospital ten minutes later. Roger explained to the nurse why they were there. She smiled and led the two of them to the maternity wing of the hospital. Roger held Jace while the nurse took Sara's vitals.

The nurse then took Jace's vitals and smiled at the couple. Roger looked down at Jace's face and kissed his forehead.

"You two can go home. Both mother and baby check out fine." The nurse told Roger and Sara. They thanked her and walked out the door.

Roger put Jace in his car seat as Sara climbed in next to him. Roger leaned over and kissed Sara's forehead before getting in the driver's seat.

He knew that he would love Sara, Jace, Cassidy and Emily from now until the end of time.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

_Two years later_

"Ouch! Roger! That was my foot!" Sara exclaimed as she and Roger waltzed around the ballroom. The two of them, plus Mark, Andrea, Collins and Angel, had been taking an hour-long ballroom dance class every Thursday night from 6-7.

"Sorry. I can't find my rhythm." Roger apologized, looking at his feet. Madame Calenture, the instructor, came over and put her cane under Roger's chin.

"No looking at zee feet!" she told Roger in a thick French/German accent. She then walked away and went to another couple in the class.

"Funny – you can find your rhythm in the bedroom." Sara muttered under her breath as Roger stepped on her foot again. Sara limped around the ball room, trying to dance a perfect waltz.

Roger made a funny face, which made Sara laugh.

"Find a partner you did not come in with und vork vith them." Madame Calenture told the ten couples.

"May I have this dance?" Mark asked Sara. She nodded and felt him wrap his arms around her waist. She tensed up as Mark pulled her close. "Relax. It's me."

Sara looked over Mark's shoulder and saw that Roger was dancing with Angel. Andrea was dancing with Collins.

"Und dance!" Madame Calenture exclaimed, putting on the song Mambo Italino. This was the class's cool down dance, so everyone was relaxed and having fun.

"Having fun?" Roger asked as he and Angel passed by. Sara laughed and was surprised when Mark dipped her. She laughed and when she came upright and Mark spun her several times.

"Hell yeah!" Sara exclaimed.

All the dancers cooled down and went to where their dance bags were. Sara was dabbing her forehead with her towel when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Sara answered.

"MOM! DID YOU FORGET SOMETHING?" Thirteen-year-old Cassidy's angry voice was on the other line. Sara held her phone out at arm's length. As a gift to Sara and Roger on her birthday, Cassidy had made the decision to call them Mom and Dad. Emily was already Cassidy's sister from the very beginning.

"Sweetheart, what are you talking about?" Sara asked.

"MY ORCHESTRA CONCERT IS TONIGHT AT 7:30! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Cassidy yelled. Sara looked to Roger and mouthed 'Cassidy.'

"Honey, we just got out of our dance class. I don't think we're gonna make it in time. Can your friend – Jason – give you a ride?" Sara asked.

"JASON CANNOT DRIVE, MOM!" Cassidy shot back.

"Let me talk to her," Roger offered, taking the phone from Sara. She put her head in her hands and began crying. Collins, Angel, Andrea and Mark had all come over to see what the fuss was about. "Honey calm down…It's not tonight, it's tomorrow night…Oh…Your mom and I are so sorry we forgot. Do you think Jason's family would be able to take you?...Good…We're on our way now…See you soon, kiddo…Love you, too…We'll go out for ice cream afterwards to make up for our mistake." Roger hung up the phone and handed it to Sara.

"Come on. Let's relieve Maureen and Joanne of babysitting and go to Cassidy's concert." Roger told Sara. She nodded and followed him out of the ballroom.

"Is Cassidy mad at me?" Sara asked as she climbed into the front seat.

"A little, but I told her it was our error and not to be mad at you." Roger told Sara. She nodded and looked out the window.

"We both stink, so there's no way we can take a shower and be there in fifteen minutes." Sara said, turning so she was facing Roger.

He was about to answer when Sara's phone rang again. She looked at the caller ID and answered.

"Hello?...This is she…Oh, hi Laurie…Cassidy's doing great – we're actually on our way to – you what?...When?...Where?...How is he?...Oh my God!...Oh my God!...Okay…Can you get him?...Uh huh…Bring him to the house and we'll be there around 9 or so…I'll leave a key out for you…Okay…I'm so glad you found him…See you soon…Bye." Sara hung up the phone, tears in her eyes.

"Baby? What is it?" Roger asked as they pulled into the parking lot of the middle school. Sara gathered her thoughts and calmed down.

"That was the social worker," Sara started. "They found Brandon."

"Cassidy's half-brother?" Roger asked. Sara nodded, new tears forming. "What's going on with him?"

"He's with an abusive family. Have you read the book or seen the movie _Les Miserables_?" Sara inquired.

"Yeah, I read the book in high school. Why?"

"Remember how bad the Thenardier's treated young Cosette?"

"Yeah."

"It's ten times worse than that with Brandon. Poor kid."

Roger frowned as they entered the middle school with five minutes to spare. He held Sara's hand and hugged her as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Since they hadn't bothered to shower, the two of them stood in the back of the auditorium. They applauded loudly as the orchestra filed onto the stage and took their places.

Roger felt himself fill with pride as Cassidy warmed up the violins. She was first violin and that was an important role.

The concert went well, in Roger's opinion. The theme for that night was Modern Broadway. The program looked like this:

_Watersburg Middle School  
Presents_

_A Night of Modern Broadway_

_Presented by the _

_Watersburg Middle School Orchestra_

_ACT 1:_

_Phantom of the Opera: Overture_

_Porgy and Bess: Summertime_

_Tarzan: Two Worlds/Strangers Like Me/Trashing the Camp_

_Rock of Ages: Jukebox Hero/I Love Rock N Roll/Every Rose Has Its Thorn_

_All Shook Up: C'mon Everybody/Jailhouse Rock_

_Les Miserables: At the End of the Day/Stars/Bring Him Home/Castle on a Cloud_

_Oliver!: Where Is Love?_

_Beauty and the Beast: Gaston_

_The Music Man: Shipoopi_

_The Color Purple: Lily of the Field/That Fine Mister/The Color Purple_

_Wicked: As Long As You're Mine/One Short Day/Defying Gravity_

_Chicago: Hot Honey Rag_

_Fiddler on the Roof: Sabbath Prayer/Sunrise, Sunset_

_Newsies: Carrying the Banner/Seize the Day_

_Spamalot: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life_

_ACT 2:_

_CATS: Overture_

_Mamma Mia!: The Winner Takes it All/Mamma Mia/I Have A Dream_

_Fiddler on the Roof: Tradition/Matchmaker/Far From the Home I Love_

_Oliver!: Consider Yourself/Oom-Pah-Pah_

_Spring Awakening: The Song of Purple Summer/There Once Was a Pirate_

_The Lion King: Grasslands Chant_

_Jersey Boys: Fallen Angel/Dawn (Go Away)/What A Night_

_Ragtime: Wheels of a Dream/Ragtime_

_Rock of Ages: Harden My Heart/Shadows of the Night_

_Chicago!: Cell Block Tango_

_Once: Falling Slowly  
_

_CATS: Memory_

_Les Miserables: One Day More!_

_ENCORE:_

_Medley: All That Jazz /Music of the Night/Beauty and the Beast _

Roger would have to say that his favorite song of the entire night was Bring Him Home – Cassidy had a beautiful solo towards the end of the song.

After the concert, Roger and Sara waited for Cassidy backstage.

"I thought you guys weren't coming?" Cassidy said, absolutely confused.

"We came right from class in order to be here, baby girl," Sara answered, kissing Cassidy's forehead. "We have some good news."

"What?" Cassidy asked, her brown eyes widening.

"It's about your brother," Roger started as they went to the parking lot. "They found him."

"How is he? Is he okay?" Cassidy asked as she, Roger and Sara got into the car. Joanne and Maureen would be watching Emily and Jace at their house while Sara, Roger and Cassidy saw Brandon.

"He's coming from an extremely difficult situation, so it may be hard to see him." Roger told Cassidy as the three of them headed to the car.

When they arrived at the house, Roger saw Laurie's car parked on the left-hand side of the driveway. Cassidy, Sara and Roger slowly exited the car and entered the house.

Laurie was sitting in a chair and Brandon was playing with some of Jace's toys not too far away. When the Davis family entered the house, Brandon looked frightened and backed away.

"Brandon, it's me. It's okay. You're safe now." Cassidy soothed her brother, slowly going over to him. Brandon blinked and slowly stood up. He grinned at Cassidy and ran to her, throwing his arms around her waist. He began sobbing loudly. Cassidy sank to the floor and rocked her brother in her arms, running a hand through his hair.

Laurie left after an hour, knowing that Brandon was home at last.

"Brandon, are you hungry?" Sara questioned, going to the kitchen. Roger had gone to pick up Emily and Jace. Cassidy had gone to her room to get started on homework before she went to bed.

"May I have a sandwich, please?" Brandon asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Sara had to strain her ears to hear what he was saying. She made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cut up some fruit and vegetables, got Brandon some milk and placed the food in front of him. He picked up a slice of green pepper and ate it, smiling.

When Brandon was finished with his food, Roger and the kids entered. Brandon got scared again and ducked behind Sara's legs.

"Honey, this is your brother and sister. They won't hurt you." Sara assured Brandon. Emily smiled at Brandon, showing off her friendly smile.

"Hi! I'm Emily! What's your name?" Emily asked.

"B-Brandon." Brandon answered.

"Emily, Brandon and Jace, it's time to go to bed." Roger told the kids after a while.

They all went to their rooms without complaining. Roger had Brandon share Jace's room, which Brandon was okay with.

As Brandon settled in the extra twin bed in Jace's room, he was happy to be part of a family and felt like he belonged.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELEVE

_A year later_

"That's everything." Sara announced as she and Roger put the last box into the moving van. She then put her hands on her bulging stomach and leaned against the van. She was in her last trimester and was expecting twins – a boy and a girl. She would have a C-Section for this pregnancy, her first. She and Roger decided to name the babies Bridget Carolyn and Garrett James.

"Sweetie, are you sure you should be out in this heat?" Roger asked, taking a giant gulp of water.

"I'm fine, honey," Sara assured him. He rolled his eyes and muttered something about Sara being stubborn. "I heard that!"

"Of course you did! You have super sonic bat ears!" Roger teased. Sara rolled her eyes and playfully shoved Roger.

"The van's all set, if you guys want to get in the car." Collins told the Davis family. Sara climbed in the front seat as the kids – Brandon, Jace, Emily and Cassidy – climbed in the back. They got out some toys to play with on the drive to the new house.

Roger and Sara had found a two-story brownstone in the middle of a nice neighborhood in New Jersey. The kids would take the bus to school, while Roger and Sara would drive to work. Roger was working at one of the elementary schools teaching music, worked at a music store and still found time to play gigs with his band over the weekend.

Sara had started working at the animal shelter and also worked at the law office where Joanne worked. Joanne had found Sara work in the mail room.

Five hours later, Roger pulled the car into the driveway, the moving truck right behind them.

The kids went to claim their rooms before helping Sara, Roger and Collins bring things inside. Sara brought in two boxes then had to sit down – her back was hurting.

Once the moving truck was unpacked, Collins took it back, but not before hugging Roger, Sara and the kids goodbye.

That night, Sara had a hard time sleeping. Usually, she fell asleep right away, but not tonight.

"Honey, what's going on?" Roger asked, turning on the bedside lamp.

"I can't sleep." Sara answered, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Are the babies coming?" Roger questioned.

"No, not yet. They're not due for another month." Sara told him.

"Do you think its Braxton-Hicks contractions?"

"I'm not having contractions. I just can't sleep."

Roger moved over and had Sara sleep in his arms. She rested her head on his chest and fell asleep listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

* * *

The following afternoon, Sara and Cassidy did some gardening while Roger played with Emily, Jace and Brandon in the front yard. The summer sun shone down on the Davis family like a light bulb. Sara and Roger made sure the kids had a pound of sunscreen on before they played. Sara and Roger also made sure they had enough sunscreen as well.

"Cassidy, there's something I need to tell you," Sara started, getting to her knees. Cassidy adjusted the brim of her sunhat and looked into Sara's eyes. "When I was thirteen, I gave birth to a baby girl. I didn't keep her, fearing I would be a horrible mother. I decided to give her to my best friend, Rose. It wasn't until Roger and I adopted you that I realized you were my baby girl."

Cassidy stared at Sara, absolutely stunned. She had lived with Rose until she was two and in those two years, she remembered Rose talking nonstop about a girl named Sara.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Cassidy asked after a while.

"I thought you should know," Sara answered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I wanted to keep you, but I was only thirteen at the time."

"How old was Rose when you gave me to her?" Cassidy inquired.

"She was sixteen and had a supportive family. My parents, sister and brother died the day I went into labor with you."

"Is Roger my dad?" Cassidy inquired. Sara shook her head and took a deep breath.

"Your father," Sara started, blinking back tears, "was my cousin, Eduardo. He died a long time ago."

"What?"

"I was sexually molested when I was thirteen, fifteen and again at twenty-four." Sara told Cassidy, tears streaming down her cheeks. Cassidy put down her weed basket and went to hug Sara. She hugged Sara and let her cry into her T-shirt.

Cassidy couldn't imagine all the pain that Sara had gone through. Cassidy had a worried expression on her face that made Sara stop crying.

"Cass, what is it?"

"Eduardo was the name of Brandon's dad." Cassidy answered, her face paling.

"Do you know the name of Brandon's mom?" Sara questioned, standing up. Cassidy shook her head and also stood up. The two of them emptied their weed baskets into the grass and put their weeding supplies away.

"I can make lemonade or something if you want to lay down, mom." Cassidy told Sara. She kissed the top of Cassidy's head and struggled to go up the stairs. Cassidy rushed over to help Sara go up the stairs.

An hour later, Roger, Brandon, Emily and Jace entered the house. Roger went upstairs and saw Sara asleep in the master bedroom.

"Honey, are you okay?" Roger asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Sara told Roger everything she told Cassidy. He didn't say anything until Sara was done talking.

"How did she handle the conversation?" Roger asked.

"Very maturely," Sara told him, wincing at some pain, "Ow!"

"You all right?"

"Really strong Braxton-Hicks contractions," Sara answered, squeezing her eyes tight. "Ow! They're usually not this – ow!"

"Relax and I'll get you some ice." Roger said, kissing Sara's forehead and exited the room. The kids were doing their own thing – Emily, Zach and Brandon were watching TV while Cassidy practiced her violin nearby. She was currently playing Vivaldi's Spring.

He filled a cup to the brim with ice before going back to the master bedroom. He held the cup in his hand while Sara sucked on some ice cubes.

"How are the contractions?" Roger asked.

"They're there, but not as strong." Sara answered.

"You should hear Cassidy play the violin – she's really good," Roger told Sara, trying to get her mind off the contractions. "She's almost ready for Gabe and Amber's wedding on Saturday."

Gabe – the keyboard player in Roger's band – was marrying one of the backup singers named Amber over the weekend. Amber had asked Cassidy to play a few songs for when the guests were entering the church.

"Maybe if she's lucky, they'll be a producer there." Sara joked. Roger smiled and kissed the end of Sara's nose. She rolled her eyes and sucked on another ice cube.

Roger made homemade pizzas for the kids while Sara slept. She had told Roger she wasn't feeling well and that she wasn't hungry.

The kids worked together to put the dishes away while Roger went to check on Sara. She was fast asleep on her side facing away from him. The special pillow she used was on the floor, so Roger picked it up and adjusted it to how Sara liked it. He then kissed her temple, laid down next to her and took her in his arms.

_A month later_

Sara was in the hospital, preparing for her C-Section. Roger squeezed her hand as she slipped under anesthesia. He followed the team of surgeons to the operating room, holding Sara's hand the entire time.

At 1:47 in the afternoon, their daughter – Bridget Carolyn – was born. She was placed on Sara's chest as the doctor motioned Roger over. He watched the surgeons get Garrett James out. He was born at 1:58 in the afternoon.

Both babies were born five days before their actual due date and were absolutely perfect. Bridget weighed in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces and was 16.1 inches long. Garrett weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 16.3 inches long.

Sara went to recovery while the twins went to the nursery. Roger went to the waiting room and saw the kids, Mark and Andrea waiting there. Andrea couldn't have kids, so she and Mark were planning on adopting a child from China.

"Bridget Carolyn and Garrett James were born at 1:47 and 1:58 this afternoon. They're both healthy and in the nursery. Sara's in recovery, but should be out soon. We're going to stay in the hospital for a couple days," Roger told the people in front of him. They all nodded and congratulated Roger. He smiled at the people in front of him and followed him to the nursery. "There they are." He pointed to the twins who were in the second row, directly in the middle.

"Can we hold them?" Cassidy asked.

"They're about to see your mom. I haven't interacted with them yet, but maybe later, you kids can come back with your uncle Mark and aunt Andrea before you go home." Roger told the kids, kissing the top of each of their heads before going to the room that Sara was in.

Sara was asleep when Roger entered the room. He kicked off his shoes and climbed in behind Sara. She stirred, but didn't wake. Roger kissed her neck, wrapping his arms around her, being careful of her C-Section scar.

A short while later, both babies were wheeled into the room. Sara was now awake and smiled as a nurse placed Bridget in Sara's outstretched arms. Roger was currently holding Garrett.

Bridget was nursing and Garrett was sleeping when Cassidy, Emily, Jace and Brandon entered the room. Roger looked up from texting and smiled at the kids.

"Hi kids," Roger whispered, guiding the kids over to Garrett's incubator. He lifted the lid and carefully picked up Garrett, "this is your brother Garrett. Your sister, Bridget, is nursing right now," he nodded to a bottle of hand sanitizer. "If you want to hold your brother, put some sanitizer on your hands so he doesn't get sick."

Cassidy rubbed some on her hands before helping her brothers and sister. She held Garrett and told him what a sweet baby boy he was.

Jace was getting his turn with Garrett when the baby opened his eyes, coughed and began crying. Roger rushed over and told Jace that it was Garrett's turn to nurse and that he could be the first to hold Bridget.

Bridget squirmed in Jace's arms and also cried. Roger picked her up and walked her around the room.

"Kids, come on. Let's get some ice cream." Mark told the kids coming into the room. The kids all waved goodbye to their siblings before exiting the room. Roger went over and closed the door. He then turned back to Sara, who was asleep.

"You doing okay?" Roger asked. Sara nodded sleepily and felt Roger climb in behind her. When she had been under, Dr. Elliot went ahead and tied Sara's tubes, since she and Roger didn't want any more children. He kissed the top of Sara's head as she fell asleep.

Roger got out of bed and went over to Bridget. He carefully picked her up and held her against him. The little girl wasn't crying, but Roger didn't get a chance to hold either baby.

"There we are. You're okay, precious." Roger soothed as he rocked his little one. Bridget opened her eyes and cooed happily at Roger. He kissed her forehead and carefully stood up. He sang a little bit of You Are My Sunshine as he placed Bridget in her incubator.

He held Garrett for a while before the night nurse came to take the twins to the nursery. Roger kissed Garrett's head and wished him a good night's sleep.

The following day, Roger and Sara brought the twins home. They placed the babies in the nursery, put their hospital bracelets in their baby books and turned on the monitor near the door.

Sara went to lay down while Roger went to start dinner for the kids. Cassidy offered to do laundry, which was a huge help.

"Dad, can I see a movie with Jason on Friday?" Cassidy asked. She and Jason had been going study for two years. He couldn't believe that on Saturday, Cassidy would be turning seventeen.

"I don't see why not. What movie?" Roger questioned.

"Trains. We're taking Jason's little sister, Alyssa, to the movies. He told me that if I wanted to bring Brandon, Jace and Emily, that would be fine." Cassidy told Roger.

"That would be great, sweetie. Now that your mom and I have the twins, things have been a little crazy here," Roger said, kissing the top of Cassidy's head. She smiled and took over for Roger, insisting that she had everything under control. "I really like how responsible you've become."

Cassidy smiled and watched her dad go to his room. She texted Jason, letting him know that she and the younger kids would be coming to the movie on Friday.

* * *

The following day, Roger and Cassidy gave the twins baths while Sara slept. The younger kids were outside playing with some other kids in the neighborhood.

"Can I bathe Bridget, please?" Cassidy asked. Roger nodded and handed her Bridget before picking up Garrett.

She sang You Are My Sunshine while she bathed Bridget. Roger realized what a pretty voice she had.

Garrett was done first, so Roger took him to the nursery. Cassidy said that she was comfortable looking after Bridget and that she would get Roger if she needed anything.

A short while later, Bridget was clean. Cassidy changed Bridget and took her to the master bedroom so that Sara could nurse her.

After Bridget was done nursing, Sara and Roger sang 'You Are My Sunshine' as they put the babies to bed.

Once the twins were asleep, Roger went to be with the kids while Sara went to bed, complaining she had a headache. She had pumped, so there were bottles in the fridge, labeled with the correct date.

"Don't bother me, unless its important." Sara croaked as Roger gave her a washcloth to put across her forehead.

"I won't, honey. I love you and hope you get better soon." Roger whispered, kissing Sara's temple before exiting the room.

He and Cassidy put the kids to bed two hours later. She even volunteered to help Roger with the babies. Roger hugged her, forever grateful for this wonderful girl.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: TWO MORE CHAPTERS UNTIL THIS STORY IS FINISHED! ALSO, HOPE YOU GUYS HAVE TISSUES HANDY - THIS CHAPTER IS REALLY SAD!**

**-Lucky**

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

_A year later_

Roger and Sara were at Sara's doctor's appointment. She hadn't been feeling well for the past three months and no matter what medicine she was on, she would get better, then start feeling sick the following day.

The doctor removed her stethoscope and frowned. Roger and Sara looked at each other, fearing what she would say.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Davis, but you have a rare form of cancer, for which there is no cure," The doctor told Sara. Sara felt tears stream down her cheeks as she fought back sobs. "You have a little more than six months to live."

"S-Six months?" Sara asked, her voice shaking. Roger rubbed her back, tears streaming down his own cheeks. In six months was Cassidy's prom and high school graduation. It was also Brandon's birthday, along with Mark and Andrea's anniversary.

"There's not much we can do – this cancer is very aggressive." The doctor told Sara, tears in her own eyes.

"What options do we have?" Roger inquired, brushing tears out of his eyes.

"The only option we have is to make her as comfortable as possible." The doctor said, handing Roger a brochure on Hospice Care.

Sara and Roger went home after the appointment. Roger called the number on the brochure while Sara laid down on the couch. All the kids were in school, except for the twins. They were at the park with neighbors.

Hospice came right away and put Sara in a hospital bed. Since the bed couldn't fit upstairs, she would stay in the living room. Roger turned the couch into a bed, with the closet nearby being the closet for his and Sara's clothes.

Cassidy and the younger kids came home a while later. When they saw their mom asleep in a hospital bed, they got worried.

"Dad? What's going on?" Brandon asked, indicating to Sara's hospital bed. Roger exited the kitchen and led the kids upstairs. The twins were asleep in their room. He led the kids to Brandon's room and had the kids sit on the bed.

"Remember when your mom said she wasn't feeling well and kept getting really bad headaches?" Roger reminded the kids. They all nodded. "Well, turns out your mom has a rare form of cancer and has six months to live."

"Mom has cancer?" Cassidy asked, tears forming in her eyes. Roger nodded sadly.

"Why is she in the hospital bed? She's not at the hospital." Jace pointed out.

"It's a special bed for mom. It's very comfortable for her." Roger explained. He felt a little gizmo in his pocket vibrate. He looked at it and read the screen, 'Let me see the kids.' "Your mom wants to see you guys."

"Okay." Brandon said, leading the way out of the room. His siblings followed timidly behind him, including Cassidy.

"Mom!" Emily gasped as she saw Sara hooked up to different machines.

"Kids, don't be scared. It's okay," Sara assured the kids, her voice weak. Roger kissed her forehead and sat down next to her. She carefully turned her head to see her wonderful husband. "Did you tell them?"

Roger nodded and held Sara's hand in his. Her palms were sweaty, but Roger didn't care. He didn't want to leave her side for a moment.

Cassidy offered to make dinner for herself and the kids. Her best friend, Laurie, came over to babysit Bridget and Garrett, who kept wanting to pull the countless cords that Sara was attached to.

"Let's go this way, guys!" Laurie suggested, getting on the floor and played with Garrett and Bridget.

A short while later, dinner was ready. Laurie and Cassidy helped feed Garrett and Bridget while the older kids fed themselves.

"Mom? Dad? Do you guys want anything to eat or should I put the food away?" Cassidy asked. Sara was asleep and Roger was watching her.

"Mom can't eat anything, otherwise she throws it up. I'm not hungry right now, honey." Roger told Cassidy. She kissed his cheek and squeezed Sara's hand. She then went with Laurie to put the kids to bed.

* * *

"You know what would be a great idea?" Laurie asked Cassidy the following day at school.

"What?" Cassidy inquired, getting the books she would need for her morning classes.

"Having graduation and prom and your house. That way, your mom can see you." Laurie said, following Cassidy to their first class of the morning.

"There's no way that we can fit 300 seniors and their families in the house." Cassidy told Laurie as they took their seats before the warning bell rang.

"Hey. I tried to call you last night, but you didn't answer your phone." Jason told Cassidy when school was out for the day. Laurie stayed behind to join the Cross-Country team while Cassidy and Jason headed for the parking lot.

"I'm sorry, Jason." Cassidy apologized, getting into her car, Jason climbing in the passenger seat. She then told Jason what was going on with her mom. Jason held Cassidy close and kissed the top of her head.

He ended up driving Cassidy home, seeing as she was a mess. He had lost his mom a year ago and knew what Cassidy was going through.

Cassidy and Jason entered the house, followed by the little ones. Cassidy brushed the tears out of her eyes and took off her shoes, Jason following suit.

"Hi mom." Cassidy greeted Sara, going over to the hospital bed. Roger was at her bedside, sponging off her face. Cassidy stepped aside so Jason could see her. He felt tears in his eyes as he saw Sara lying there like a limp noodle.

"Cassidy, could you take the kids out of the house for a while?" Roger asked, his voice tired. Cassidy nodded and motioned Jason to follow her.

"I was thinking, since it's close to Halloween, what about getting our Halloween costumes?" Cassidy suggested to the kids. They all agreed and got in the minivan. Jason and Cassidy put the twins in their carseats while the older kids buckled themselves in.

Cassidy drove to the mall and led the kids to Halloween USA – the costume store. Jason went with the twins while Cassidy went with the older kids.

Brandon decided he was going to be Albert Einstein; Emily wanted to be a zombie hockey player and Jace wanted to be a ninja. Once the kids had their costumes, Cassidy found the perfect Katniss Everdeen costume.

She and Jason met at the checkout line. Garrett decided he was going to be a cowboy and Bridget decided on being a purple pony. Jason was going to be Gale Hawthorne.

Cassidy paid for everyone's costumes and put the costumes in the car while Jason found the ice cream place that the kids liked.

As they ate their ice cream, Jason reached across the table and held Cassidy's hand. He gently squeezed it, knowing how upset Cassidy was feeling.

"Hey. It's going to be all right." Jason soothed, rubbing his thumb over Cassidy's knuckle. She wiped tears away with her napkin and laughed at Bridget's face – she had gotten chocolate ice cream everywhere, as did Garrett. Cassidy cleaned up Garrett, while Jason attended to Bridget.

An hour later, Jason drove the kids home while Cassidy sat in the front seat, staring out the window, hoping things would be better.

* * *

_Six months later_

Sara had her eyes closed and was breathing peacefully while Roger held her hand, tears streaming down his cheeks. The night before, Sara had thrown up blood all night. He called the Hospice nurse and she said that Sara's organs were shutting down.

"It's time to let her go, so if the kids want to say goodbye, they can." The Hospice nurse told Roger. All the kids, even the twins, were seated around Sara's bed, tears streaming down their cheeks.

Cassidy got off her chair and went to Sara's bedside. She ran the back of her hand down Sara's cheek. The others saw what Cassidy did and copied her.

The nurse pulled the plug that was attached to the breathing machine. Sara's chest continued to move up and down, but it was slow.

A short time later, the nurse checked Sara's vitals and looked sadly at Roger. He let out loud, heart-wrenching sobs as he hugged her still form. The kids got scared and started crying.

An ambulance came for Sara's body later that day to take her to the morgue. Roger said goodbye to his everything before she went off in the ambulance.

The kids stayed in their rooms for the rest of the day. Cassidy came out when Mark and Andrea came over. Usually, they had the little boy they adopted from China named Theo with them, but they left him at home. Theo was Brandon's age and played the cello.

"I am so sorry, Roger." Mark told his best friend, hugging him tightly. He saw Cassidy out of the corner of his eye and went to hug her as Andrea hugged Roger.

The four of them ordered pizza and went through pictures. Cassidy saw one of Sara holding her a couple hours after Sara had given birth to Cassidy.

There were also pictures of Sara with her family, a couple of dogs, a beautiful horse, swimming, playing volleyball, playing the piano, playing with her siblings, a goofy picture of her and Mandy in the record store, in her mother's arms as a baby, her Senior photos and fishing with her dad. There was even a couple photos of Sara with her Aunt Tia.

"She looked a lot like her mom," Andrea remarked, looking at a photo of Sara and her mother. "I'm gonna miss her so much." Andrea blinked the tears out of her eyes as Mark drew her close.

"I love this one." Cassidy said, motioning to a picture of Sara and Roger on their wedding day. Sara looked like she was pregnant and had her head resting on Roger's shoulder, both their hands on Sara's belly.

"She was pregnant with Emily in that picture." Roger croaked.

"I didn't know she did theater." Mark remarked, looking at a photo of Sara in full costume. She was dressed as a cowgirl.

"Yeah – she was in the musical of _Toy Story_ when she was in high school. She played Jessie." Roger answered, feeling tears in his eyes.

An hour later, Collins, Benny, Angel and Maureen came over.

"Joanne is in court and won't be out until late. She wanted me to tell you how sorry she is about Sara." Maureen told Roger, pulling him into a rib-crushing hug. Roger patted her back and got out of her death-grip. He hugged Collins, Angel and Benny. They all hugged him before turning to Mark, Andrea and Cassidy.

"Dad, I'm going to go to bed. Night." Cassidy told Roger an hour later.

"Honey, do you want to stay and watch a movie with me?" Roger asked, looking at his oldest.

"Sure, but can we watch comedies?" Cassidy asked, taking a quick minute to put on her pajamas and brush her teeth. She then found Carrots and held him while she and her dad watched Pitch Perfect, Enchanted, 27 Dresses, The Hangover, Tangled, The Producers and Vampires Suck.

By the time they finished the movies, it was going on three in the morning. Cassidy went to bed while Roger looked at the empty hospital bed. It would be taken away the following day.

He dreamt about his and Sara's final moments on Earth. She was in the bed and he was sitting beside her, holding her hand. He sang as many songs as he knew while she slept.

It was close to noon when Roger called Hospice, letting them know that Sara's time was near.

He turned over on his side and saw Sara sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out to touch her, but his hand went right through her. She stroked his hair and looked into his kind green eyes.

_Roger – I want you to do something for me _she whispered, her voice smooth and warm, like butter melting on toast _I want you to find love again. It might be painful at first, but the pain won't last forever. Make sure she's sweet, likes kids, has a good heart and is as wonderful as you are. Do this for me and I will be forever grateful for you. I love you and the kids so much and miss you and the kids like crazy._

_I should tell you, I should tell you  
I have always loved you  
You can see it in my eyes_

With that, Sara's spirit disappeared. Roger sobbed loudly and called for her. He wanted to be with her, but he remembered her words.

He ended up crying himself to sleep that night, wishing that somehow Sara could have lived.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I know I said in the last chapter that there was one more chapter until this story was complete, but I feel like Roger and Kaylin's relationship should blossom - you know, go on a couple dates, get to know each other, Roger pops the question and you know where it goes from there. **

**So, to make the story short, there will be TWO MORE CHAPTERS until this story is finished!**

**Thank you all for reading!**

**-Lucky**

* * *

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

_Two months later_

Roger and the kids put on their best black outfits and greeted the funeral goers as they entered the church. Collins, Angel, Maureen, Joanne, Mark, Benny and Andrea entered the church, each person hugging Roger and the kids before signing the guest book.

Once everyone arrived, Roger closed the church doors and entered the sanctuary. He sat up front with the kids and his friends. Cassidy and Theo finished playing A La Nanita Nana before returning to their seats, leaving their cello and violin onstage.

The minister rose from her spot behind the pulpit and asked everyone to bow their heads in prayer. She said a prayer in Greek, Spanish and English, which made almost everyone cry.

There were two hymns and Cassidy playing Morning Has Broken before Mark stepped to the pulpit. Roger had asked his friends, Cassidy, Emily, Jace and Brandon to say something. Roger would be giving the eulogy.

"I remember the first time I met Sara," Mark started, reading from his note cards. "She had come over to the loft for dinner and I had never seen Roger so in love with someone as much as he loved Sara. They had only known each other two months before Roger wanted to marry her.

She was the sweetest, kindest, most loving person I knew. I am proud to call her my sister. Love you Sara." Mark stepped out from behind the pulpit as Angel came up.

"Hi. I'm Angel," Angel introduced herself. "I want to talk about one of my best friends in the whole world. Her name was Sara and she died two months ago. In the years before her death, she was this little ball of energy and kindness, despite her dark and difficult past, which I won't get into.

I met her through my husband, Collins. At first, she was this shy, scared, little-bit-of-a-thing, but once she came out of her shell, she was a sweetheart. She loved Roger and all her kids equally. She loved-" she stopped to dab at her eyes, "She loved all people and animals. She was gentle, kind, loving, an avid reader, lover of musicals and a best friend to all of us."

Angel went to sit down as another hymn was sung. Cassidy, Joanne, Brandon, Emily and Jace took the stage once the hymn was sung.

"Hi, I'm Cassidy. If someone was to ask me who the nicest, kindest, most wonderful person I know was, I would have to say my mom. She was the bravest and loyal person I knew. She ended up in a situation where she ended up having a child at thirteen. That child was me. She gave me to her best friend, Rose, who sadly died when I was two-years-old. I was placed in an orphanage and when I was eleven, Sara and her wonderful husband, Roger adopted me. They had a little girl named Emily, who I instantly bonded with. They have now added Jace, Brandon, Bridget and Garrett to the family.

I miss my mom and hope one day, I will be able to see her again." Cassidy exited the pulpit and went to sit next to Roger, burying her face in his jacket. He rubbed her back as she began sobbing loudly.

"I don't know how I'm going to follow that," Joanne started, "Sara wasn't in my life for a long time, but when she was, she was like part of the family. Roger was a lucky guy to have her. If you liked her, she would love you right back. She was always so friendly and honest with people. She would've made a great lawyer, but decided to be a stay-at-home mom. She loved spending time with her kids and Roger. We all miss you, sweet girl." Joanne exited the pulpit and went to sit next to Maureen.

Emily and Jace read a poem they wrote called Mom is the Stars. There wasn't a dry eye in the church when they were done reading it.

Brandon also read a humorous poem he wrote called Mom Soup. By the end, everyone was smiling.

Another hymn was sung as Benny, Collins, Andrea and Maureen walked onto the stage. Maureen, Andrea and Collins sat down as Benny went to the pulpit.

"Good afternoon," Benny greeted the crowd, "I'm here to talk about one special person. Her name was Serephina "Sara" Bridget Davis. She was like a sister to everyone who entered her life. She was extremely lucky to find love with Roger and have a family to raise together.

One of the many things I loved about Sara is that she rarely got mad or upset. If she did, she would go off on her own and calm down, sometimes with Roger's help.

I don't know what we're going to do without this light in our lives." Benny said as he exited the stage. The hymn This Little Light of Mine was sung and everybody sang along, clapping their hands in time to the music.

Once the hymn was sung, Maureen, then Collins and Andrea spoke. All of them said beautiful things about Sara and how kind, loving, devoted, hard-working and courageous she was.

Cassidy played Your Eyes as Roger entered the stage. The minister looked over at him and squeezed his hand.

"I'm so sorry for your loss." The minister told Roger.

"Thank you." Roger told her, listening to his beautiful daughter play the song. Once she was finished the minister said a prayer before letting Roger have the pulpit.

"…Amen." The minister finished. Everyone repeated Amen and looked at Roger standing in the pulpit.

"I met Sara when she was twenty-two-years-old. At the time, I was twenty-five and was playing in a bar with my friends when I noticed this extremely beautiful girl standing in the doorway. I didn't actually talk to her until the following day. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever met.

She ended up living with my roommates and I after her aunt died. Sara had no other family, so I took her under my wing. We ended up falling in love with each other. I asked her to marry me after we had been together for two months and she said, 'yes.'

We ended up having a baby then getting married, which I remarked we were doing things backwards. Sara didn't mind, though. She always tended to look on the bright side of things.

When our daughter was two, Sara had a personal thing happen to her, which resulted in us not being able to have kids. It took three years, but we adopted a girl named Cassidy. A short while after adopting Cassidy, Sara found out that she could have children again. We had Jace and loved him to pieces. Two years later, Cassidy's half-brother was rescued from an awful situation and we adopted him. After we rescued Cassidy's brother, it was time for us to move to a bigger house, since Sara found out she was expecting twins.

She had the twins – Bridget and Garrett – and made the painful decision to have her tubes tied, since we didn't want more children.

When the twins were a year old, Sara started getting really sick every single day. It turned out that she had an aggressive form of cancer that took her life in six short months.

There's not a day that goes by I don't think about her. I see her face in my children's eyes, hear her laughter on the breeze and the reminders of the pictures I see of her haunt me every day.

Before she died, she told me to love again, which I don't think I can do. I have enough love surrounding me – my children and my wonderful friends. Thank you for all that you do for me." Roger said, exiting the stage and went to his seat.

Theo went to the front of the stage and warmed up. He then played Musetta's Waltz as Roger, Emily, Brandon, Jace, Bridget, Garrett and Cassidy went to the front doors to form the receiving line. Roger looked over at Sara's picture he had used for the program. It was a black and white photo taken of Sara when she and Roger renewed their vows.

The funeral attendants squeezed Roger's hand and told him how sorry they were for his loss. He thanked them and hugged his friends as they came through the receiving line.

A while later, Roger and the kids climbed in the car as they headed for the cemetery where Sara was to be buried. They were the second car in line. The Cohen's were right behind them.

The minister rode with Roger, seeing as her car was in the shop. She thanked Roger and told him what a beautiful job he and the kids did.

Roger smiled at her and continued to drive the car slowly down the road. In the rearview mirror, he could see ten cars following them.

A short while later, the hearse pulled into Mountain View Cemetery and drove to where Sara's tombstone was.

The pallbearers got out of the hearse and carried the coffin to where it would be lowered to the ground.

"Cass, are you ready?" Roger asked. Cassidy stepped forward and readied her bow as the minister said a prayer that God watch over Sara. When the minister was done talking, she turned to Cassidy. Cassidy played a beautiful version of Amazing Grace.

When she finished, it was time for the family to toss the first handfuls of dirt onto Sara's coffin. Roger tossed the first handful, then it was Cassidy. The order then went Emily, Jace, Brandon, Bridget and Garrett. Roger and Cassidy helped Bridget and Garrett with their handfuls.

Roger and Cassidy, along with other people, cried as Sara's coffin was lowered into the ground.

Once she was in the ground, Mark said a prayer in Hebrew. There was light applause after he finished.

After the cemetery, Roger and the kids headed back to their house. He let the kids do what they wanted while he went for a walk to clear his mind.

* * *

_A year later_

"Happy birthday sweet girl," Roger told Sara as he placed fresh flowers on her headstone. He then kissed the headstone and stood up. "We miss you very much. Cassidy's away at college and playing in the orchestra. Emily's a sophomore in high school; Jace and Brandon are freshmen in high school and the twins are in eighth grade. I can't believe how fast the years are flying."

He stood in front of her headstone, tears brimming his eyes.

SEREPHINA "SARA" BRIDGET DAVIS  
Loving Mother & Wife  
FEBRUARY 12 1982 – NOVEMBER 14 2016

"I can't believe you're thirty-four today." Roger marveled, letting the tears stream down his cheeks. He drew his sweater closer to him as he stood there. He made sure that she was buried near her aunt, parents, sister and brother.

"No, I don't want to talk to him, Mandy! I don't even know him!" a voice to Roger's left spoke up. He looked to his left and felt his heart freeze in his chest.

A woman who looked to be thirty-two was standing in front of a tombstone. She had honey-colored hair and blue-green eyes. She stood a little shorter than Roger and was skinny, but not too skinny. She looked over at Roger and walked over.

"My sister, Mandy, wants me to say 'hi' to you, so hi." The woman told Roger, her voice like sweet honey.

"Hi." Roger said, continuing to stare at Sara's tombstone.

"Oh, my sister, Mandy, worked with a girl named Sara. Said she was really sweet." The woman told Roger, looking at the tombstone.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Roger asked. This woman was starting to get on his nerves.

"I'm Kaylin," The woman – Kaylin – introduced herself. "I'm sorry for coming over here – it was a bad idea."

"It's okay. It's her birthday today and I've been coming here since she died a year and two months ago," Roger explained. "I'm Roger."

The two of them talked for a bit before exiting the cemetery. They scribbled down their number for each other and exchanged numbers.

As he drove home, Roger was happy to have another woman in his life. It's what Sara would've wanted.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Roger could feel his love for Kaylin grow as they spent more time with each other. He loved her sense of humor, kindness, generosity towards others and her love of kids. Almost every time she came to Roger's house, she would either play with the twins or help one of the kids with a homework problem.

She ended up spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with them. Cassidy came home for both holidays and instantly felt drawn to Kaylin. The young girl could tell that her dad had finally met his true love. She also knew that no one could replace Sara.

* * *

On Spring Break, they all went to Florida and visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Everyone bought something – Roger and Kaylin got matching Gryffindor T-shirts; Cassidy got Luna and Bellatrix's wands; Emily got some Chocolate Frogs, a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard and the Elder Wand; Jace got a Hufflepuff T-shirt and Voldemort's wand; Brandon got a copy of The Monster Book of Monsters and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans; Garrett got a stuffed animal of Dobby the House Elf and Bridget got a stuffed animal of Hedwig.

Other than buying things, Cassidy got to be in a game of Quidditch, Jace was chosen to be in a Potion's Class and the twins got sorted into houses – Garrett was sorted into Ravenclaw and Bridget was sorted into Hufflepuff.

They also went on the Universal Studios tour and took a lot of photos.

Roger and Kaylin stepped away from the kids and went into the jewelry tent. They bought rings for each other – Roger's was the Gryffindor colors and Kaylin's was the Ravenclaw colors.

They found where to be married and had the kids be in the service. Cassidy was Maid of Honor and Brandon was Best Man. The man portraying Albus Dumbledore blessed the couple and had them kiss. Roger kissed Kaylin with all the passion he could find deep in his heart. She kissed him back with just as much passion.

* * *

Over the summer, Kaylin and Roger got married for the second time, complete with church, flower girls, ring bearers, I Do's instead of Unbreakable Vows and reciting their own vows. At that wedding, Mark was Best Man with Garrett, Jace, Brandon and Theo as groomsmen. Joanne was Maid of Honor with Cassidy, Emily and Bridget as bridesmaids.

After the wedding, Roger and Kaylin went to Hawaii for two months, leaving Cassidy in charge, which she was used to.

Once Roger and Kaylin were back, it was time for Bridget to show her horse in the county fair. Bridget had been taking horseback riding lessons and was borrowing a horse named Majesty. Majesty was a dark chocolate and white paint mare with blue eyes and a lighter mane and tail. She was very gentle and was in her mid-twenties.

Bridget showed in Western events and did costume class. The theme for costume class was Star Wars. Bridget dressed as C3P0 while Majesty dressed as R2D2. Bridget and Majesty ended up coming in second place, which wasn't bad.

Once Bridget was done showing Majesty for the day, she and her family went down to the midway to ride rides and play games. Cassidy won a giant purple giraffe and let Emily have it. Cassidy won a giant dog and kept it for her dorm. The boys won goldfish and Bridget won a small Clysdale stuffed animal, which she was happy about.

* * *

"Bridget, do you need any help getting Majesty packed?" Roger asked. Bridget shook her head and guided Majesty into the horse trailer, tying her lead rope firmly to the rail. Bridget exited the horse trailer just as Duke walked by. Duke was a pure black Quarter Horse and wasn't very fond of Majesty.

"Nice riding, Bridget!" Melany, Bridget's riding instructor called, bringing over Calico. Bridget smiled and put Calico in the horse trailer. Bridget wiped her hands on her jeans as Melany walked over. "Is your dad around? I want to talk to both of you about something."

"Yeah – I think I saw him and Kaylin go in the barn. I'll be right back," Bridget told her instructor, sprinting to the barn where Roger and Kaylin were. She assumed that Cassidy, Emily, Brandon, Jace and Garrett went back to the midway, since there wasn't any signs of them. "Dad. Melany wants to talk to us."

"Okay, sweetie. I'll be right there." Roger told her. He left Kaylin petting a large Clysdale.

Two minutes later, Roger and Bridget were standing in the shade. Melany was standing in front of them.

"Bridget, can your dad and I talk for a minute?" Melany asked. Bridget nodded and went to pet some of the horses who hadn't been loaded yet. A few minutes later, Melany called Bridget back. "I was wondering if you would like to own Majesty."

"What?" Bridget asked, completely confused.

"I know your birthday is coming up and you've been bugging me for a horse since you could talk. Melany and I talked and we decided that since you were doing so well in school that you could finally own a horse of your own – Queen's Majesty, or as you know her around the barn – Majesty." Roger told Bridget. She squealed and hugged her dad, riding instructor and kissed the end of Majesty's nose.

"But, owning a horse is a big responsibility as well. You have to feed, water, ride, clean up and do everything else you've been doing with her." Melany told Bridget.

"I know, Melany and dad," Bridget told them. She then turned to Majesty, "You hear that, girl? You're going to be mine!"

Melany smiled and hopped in the truck. In the rearview mirror, she could see Bridget hugging Roger and thanking him profusely.

* * *

_A month later_

"Ugh! I don't wanna go back to school! I want to stay all day in the barn and be with Majesty!" Bridget complained as she, Emily and Kaylin went back-to-school shopping. School didn't start until August 21st, but the kids wanted to go shopping early and get it done.

"I know you do, honey." Kaylin said as she sat down on a bench. She was in her second trimester and it was not treating her well.

The girls finished up their shopping and went home. They quickly put their clothes away before helping Roger with dinner. Kaylin had gone to lay down, complaining that her feet and body were hurting.

They all ate dinner in front of the TV – something the family rarely did. This was because Cassidy's college was having a televised concert for charity.

"There she is!" Emily exclaimed, almost choking on her green beans. Cassidy smiled and bowed before warming up the violins. She sat down once the violins were warmed up. The conductor waved his baton and beautiful classical music floated through the television.

The concert went on for a couple hours. Roger recorded the rest of it and promised the kids they could watch the rest of it the following day. He turned off the TV and went to the master bedroom while Emily did dishes and Brandon put the food away.

* * *

_Three months later_

Roger held Kaylin's hand as she prepared to deliver her baby. She was in a hospital bed, tears and sweat streaming down her cheeks. Roger kissed her forehead as another contraction seared through her like a knife. She had gone into labor at 8:00 that morning and it was 9:45 PM.

"Come on, Kaylin. The head is almost out!" the doctor encouraged. Roger and Kaylin didn't want to know what they were having – they wanted it to be a surprise.

After an hour of Kaylin screaming, she held a little girl in her arms. The little one was currently nursing after being weighed, measured and cleaned up. All she needed was a name.

"What about Julie?" Roger suggested. Kaylin shook her head.

"I love the name Serephina, but I know that was your first wife's name." Kaylin told Roger, her voice hoarse.

"What about Serephina Elizabeth?" Roger suggested again. Kaylin shook her head.

"It's too long. What about Serephina Beth?" Kaylin suggested. Roger smiled – it was perfect.

"It might be painful at first, but we could call her Sara for short." Roger said, looking down at his little one.

"What's her name?" the nurse asked.

"Serephina Beth Davis." Roger told her.

At birth, Serephina weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces and was 16.9 inches long.

Kaylin and Serephina were in a hospital room while Roger went to talk with Cassidy and the rest of the kids. He found them in the waiting room. Cassidy, Brandon, Jace and Bridget were playing a game, Emily was sleeping and Garrett was reading. They all looked up when Roger entered the room.

"You have a new sister. Her name is Serephina Beth Davis. She's 5 pounds, 14 ounces and is 16.9 inches long. She was born at 10:46 PM and she's absolutely beautiful," Roger told his kids. They all wanted to see Serephina and Kaylin, but Roger shook his head, "Mom's really tired and we want to spend some time with Serephina. We'll be home tomorrow and you guys can see her," he turned to Cassidy, "Do you mind taking the kids home?"

"Not at all, dad," Cassidy told her dad, showing off a ring on her left ring finger. "Oh, that. Jason proposed and I said 'yes'."

"Congratulations!" Roger said, kissing the top of Cassidy's head. "When did this happen?"

"About a week ago. We went out do dinner before I came back home to see you, Kaylin and the kids, of course. He asked me to marry him and I told him I would." Cassidy told Roger. He smiled and kissed Cassidy's cheek.

"Let me know if you need help with anything – like music or dancing." Roger told Cassidy. She nodded and exited the hospital, the kids trailing along like ducklings. He watched them go before going back to Kaylin and Serephina.

Kaylin was fast asleep, and Serephina was, too when Roger entered the room. He sat down on the chair next to Kaylin's bed and fell asleep instantly.

He and Kaylin didn't get much sleep. Serephina cried every hour, either wanting food, to be changed, rocked or held. Roger was happy to do change, rock and hold his little one, but he would hand her to Kaylin when she was hungry.

The following day, Roger, Serephina and Kaylin were given the okay to go home. Roger placed Serephina in the nursery in the back of the master bedroom so Cassidy could have her own room when she came to visit.

As Roger fell asleep that night, he couldn't believe that he was a father for the seventh time. He now knew how Captain Von Trapp felt. He smiled and fell asleep, dreaming of his seven children marching around in uniforms.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER! THANKS TO ALL FOR READING/REVIEWING! LOVE YOU GUYS!**

* * *

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

All the kids are out of the house and have good jobs and supportive families.

Cassidy ended up playing violin for a major orchestra that traveled all over Europe. Jason went with her, being as supportive as he possibly could. They eventually married in the States, settled down in France and had four children – Marie, Zack, Dominique and Louie.

* * *

Emily went to film school to become a director. She directed several movies before marrying a fellow director named Ethan. They had two children – Henry and Thomas.

* * *

Jace went into acting and landed a role on a sitcom called Palz, playing a character named Aaron. He fell in love with his co-star who played Anna. Her name was Alison. The two of them married and had twin daughters – Aalyiah and Autumn.

* * *

Brandon had a fondness for animals and opened a non-profit animal shelter called Pawz. Several volunteers applied, including a volunteer named Ainsley. She and Brandon dated, fell in love, married and had three children, two girls – Taylor and Alyssa and a son named Roger.

* * *

Bridget had become a certified Occupational Therapist. She opened a therapeutic horseback riding stable called Rainbow's End, named after one of her favorite horses she had ridden her last year of 4-H.

She started seeing Brett, a boy from her horseback riding stable from her childhood days. They dated a few times before Brett proposed on the fifth date, which was on a roller coaster. Bridget said yes, despite being terrified as they went on a loop-de-loop.

They married and had six children, all of whom had special needs. The kids' names were – Alex, Bianca, Crystal, Danny, Ellen and Faith. They had Georgia, but she died when she was eight-months-old. She had an infection and couldn't fight it.

* * *

Garrett became an author after completing seven novels in NaNoWriMo, the novel writing competition that happened every November. He published all seven books and the first one is being made into a movie, which is being directed by Emily.

He eventually married a fellow author named Anne and settled down. Unfortunately, Anne couldn't have children, so they adopted a little girl named Ever and a dog named Lucky.

* * *

As Serephina grew older, she discovered that she liked to draw. She would draw her siblings, parents, parent's friends and Bridget's horse, Majesty. She enrolled in art school and instantly became the best in her class. She graduated with honors and opened an art gallery.

She married an Art Dealer named Steven and they had two children – Tommy and Clara.

* * *

Theo – the adopted son of Mark and Andrea – became a music teacher at the local high school. He also gave cello lessons to anyone who wanted to learn. He fell in love with a student his age named Nancy. After going on three dates, Theo proposed and Nancy said 'yes'. They married and had a little girl named Amanda. Sadly, Nancy died after Amanda was born – she had massive blood loss.

* * *

Roger passed away at 69 from cancer. Kaylin passed away at 66 from an incurable illness.

An armed robber gunned down Mark and Andrea in their home. Mark died first, followed by Andrea two minutes later.

Angel died in childbirth, along with her and Collins' baby. Collins killed himself three days later to be with Angel.

Maureen was performing in a show when she stepped off the stage and broke her neck. Joanne was at the bank when she was involved in a hostage situation. The men who robbed the bank killed three of the hostages, including Joanne.

Benny could not live with himself after his friends died. He was sitting in his car, texting Roger about what happened to Joanne when his car was hit from behind. Benny snapped his neck in the accident and died instantly.

_There's only now, there's only here  
Give in to love or live in fear  
No other path, no other way  
No day but today!_


End file.
